Valvoline (NYSE:VVV) Upgraded at Zacks Research

Zacks Research upgraded shares of Valvoline (NYSE:VVV) from a strong sell rating to a hold rating in a research report sent to investors on Monday,Zacks.com reports.

VVV has been the topic of a number of other reports. Wall Street Zen lowered Valvoline from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Friday, September 26th. TD Cowen lowered their price objective on Valvoline from $45.00 to $37.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, November 20th. Robert W. Baird dropped their price objective on Valvoline from $44.00 to $40.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, November 20th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on shares of Valvoline from $42.00 to $38.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, November 20th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Valvoline in a research report on Monday, December 29th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $38.87.

Valvoline Stock Up 3.7%

Shares of VVV opened at $32.47 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $4.13 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.80 and a beta of 1.18. Valvoline has a one year low of $28.50 and a one year high of $41.33. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $30.73 and its 200-day simple moving average is $34.59. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.10, a current ratio of 0.70 and a quick ratio of 0.58.

Valvoline (NYSE:VVV) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 19th. The basic materials company reported $0.45 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.47 by ($0.02). Valvoline had a net margin of 12.32% and a return on equity of 72.49%. The company had revenue of $453.80 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $455.70 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.46 EPS. Valvoline has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.600-1070.000 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Valvoline will post 1.63 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Valvoline

In other news, CEO Lori Ann Flees bought 4,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 24th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $30.82 per share, for a total transaction of $138,690.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief executive officer owned 69,267 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,134,808.94. This represents a 6.95% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Julie Marie O’daniel sold 3,200 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $31.88, for a total transaction of $102,016.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 17,251 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $549,961.88. This represents a 15.65% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 0.66% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Valvoline

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Coldstream Capital Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of Valvoline by 3.7% in the 2nd quarter. Coldstream Capital Management Inc. now owns 7,419 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $281,000 after buying an additional 262 shares during the period. Orion Porfolio Solutions LLC raised its position in shares of Valvoline by 1.0% during the second quarter. Orion Porfolio Solutions LLC now owns 28,510 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $1,080,000 after purchasing an additional 277 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Valvoline by 14.9% in the 3rd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,348 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $84,000 after purchasing an additional 304 shares in the last quarter. Nicolet Advisory Services LLC grew its position in Valvoline by 4.0% in the 3rd quarter. Nicolet Advisory Services LLC now owns 8,576 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $297,000 after purchasing an additional 329 shares during the period. Finally, L. Roy Papp & Associates LLP grew its position in Valvoline by 2.0% in the 2nd quarter. L. Roy Papp & Associates LLP now owns 18,440 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $698,000 after purchasing an additional 360 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 96.13% of the company’s stock.

Valvoline Company Profile

Valvoline (NYSE: VVV) is a leading global producer and distributor of automotive and industrial lubricants. The company’s portfolio spans engine oils, gear oils, transmission fluids, greases, coolants and driveline products, all designed to help improve vehicle performance and longevity. Valvoline’s products are marketed under the Valvoline®, Valvoline NextGen® and Valvoline™ SynPower® brand names and are formulated to meet the stringent requirements of passenger cars, light trucks, heavy‐duty vehicles and off‐road applications.

In addition to its core lubricant business, Valvoline operates one of North America’s largest quick‐lubricant service networks through Valvoline Instant Oil Change℠ (VIOC).