Valvoline (NYSE:VVV) Upgraded to “Buy” at Stifel Nicolaus

Stifel Nicolaus upgraded shares of Valvoline (NYSE:VVV) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research note issued to investors on Monday, MarketBeat.com reports. The brokerage currently has $42.00 price target on the basic materials company’s stock, up from their prior price target of $40.00.

Several other brokerages have also recently weighed in on VVV. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut shares of Valvoline from a “neutral” rating to an “underweight” rating and raised their price target for the company from $30.00 to $35.00 in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on Valvoline in a research note on Wednesday, December 17th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $40.00 price objective for the company. Stephens raised their target price on Valvoline from $38.00 to $44.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 6th. Citigroup lifted their target price on Valvoline from $34.00 to $37.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada upped their price target on Valvoline from $44.00 to $46.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, February 5th. Twelve equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $40.38.

Valvoline Stock Performance

NYSE VVV opened at $33.69 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 0.70, a quick ratio of 0.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.31. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $35.20 and a 200 day simple moving average of $33.93. Valvoline has a 12-month low of $28.50 and a 12-month high of $41.33. The company has a market cap of $4.29 billion, a P/E ratio of 50.29 and a beta of 1.16.

Valvoline (NYSE:VVV) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 4th. The basic materials company reported $0.37 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.34 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $461.80 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $466.87 million. Valvoline had a net margin of 4.91% and a return on equity of 69.71%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 11.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.32 earnings per share. Valvoline has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.600-1.700 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that Valvoline will post 1.63 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Valvoline

In other news, insider Julie Marie O’daniel sold 4,312 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $38.55, for a total value of $166,227.60. Following the transaction, the insider owned 17,979 shares in the company, valued at $693,090.45. The trade was a 19.34% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.66% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Valvoline

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. increased its position in shares of Valvoline by 35.7% during the 4th quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 2,363 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $69,000 after purchasing an additional 622 shares during the last quarter. Alberta Investment Management Corp purchased a new position in shares of Valvoline in the 4th quarter worth about $2,325,000. Vision One Management Partners LP purchased a new position in shares of Valvoline in the 4th quarter worth about $11,429,000. Alpine Woods Capital Investors LLC grew its position in Valvoline by 2.5% during the fourth quarter. Alpine Woods Capital Investors LLC now owns 10,866 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $316,000 after buying an additional 267 shares during the period. Finally, NewEdge Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Valvoline by 188.4% during the fourth quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 10,732 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $312,000 after buying an additional 7,011 shares during the last quarter. 96.13% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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).