Entropy Technologies LP Acquires New Shares in Valvoline $VVV

Entropy Technologies LP bought a new position in Valvoline (NYSE:VVV) in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm bought 49,254 shares of the basic materials company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,659,000.

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Eminence Capital LP bought a new stake in Valvoline during the fourth quarter valued at $122,409,000. Hawk Ridge Capital Management LP increased its stake in Valvoline by 142.0% in the 4th quarter. Hawk Ridge Capital Management LP now owns 2,738,245 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $79,573,000 after acquiring an additional 1,606,810 shares during the last quarter. Boston Partners raised its holdings in shares of Valvoline by 39.2% in the 3rd quarter. Boston Partners now owns 5,537,621 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $198,835,000 after acquiring an additional 1,560,328 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Valvoline in the 4th quarter valued at about $39,651,000. Finally, CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC boosted its position in shares of Valvoline by 141.2% during the 4th quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 1,706,259 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $49,584,000 after acquiring an additional 998,896 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.13% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Jennifer Lynn Slater acquired 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 15th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $32.53 per share, with a total value of $32,530.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director directly owned 1,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $32,530. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CFO J Kevin Willis bought 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 14th. The shares were bought at an average price of $31.80 per share, with a total value of $318,000.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief financial officer owned 32,725 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,040,655. The trade was a 44.00% increase in their position. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Insiders acquired a total of 14,100 shares of company stock worth $450,877 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 0.66% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $45.00 price objective on shares of Valvoline in a report on Thursday, May 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised Valvoline from an “underweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $35.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Friday, May 29th. New Street Research set a $47.00 target price on Valvoline in a research report on Monday, July 20th. Zacks Research raised Valvoline from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 21st. Finally, Piper Sandler reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $44.00 price target (up from $41.00) on shares of Valvoline in a research report on Friday, May 8th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Valvoline has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $42.50.

Valvoline Stock Performance

Valvoline stock opened at $39.50 on Tuesday. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $37.29 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $35.40. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.61, a quick ratio of 0.61 and a current ratio of 0.73. The stock has a market cap of $5.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 54.11 and a beta of 0.99. Valvoline has a fifty-two week low of $28.50 and a fifty-two week high of $41.33.

Valvoline (NYSE:VVV) last released its earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The basic materials company reported $0.41 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.35 by $0.06. Valvoline had a net margin of 5.03% and a return on equity of 66.54%. The firm had revenue of $503.80 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $495.67 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.34 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 25.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Valvoline has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.650-1.750 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that Valvoline will post 1.75 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Valvoline 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).