Principal Financial Group Inc. Increases Position in Valvoline $VVV

Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Valvoline (NYSE:VVV) by 5.1% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 286,562 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after acquiring an additional 13,938 shares during the quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. owned about 0.23% of Valvoline worth $9,651,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Alpine Woods Capital Investors LLC boosted its position in Valvoline by 2.5% in 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 last quarter. Orion Porfolio Solutions LLC lifted its stake in Valvoline by 1.0% during the 2nd quarter. Orion Porfolio Solutions LLC now owns 28,510 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $1,080,000 after acquiring an additional 277 shares during the period. Quadrant Capital Group LLC lifted its stake in Valvoline by 4.2% during the 4th quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 7,912 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $230,000 after acquiring an additional 319 shares during the period. UMB Bank n.a. boosted its holdings in shares of Valvoline by 20.3% in the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 1,906 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $55,000 after acquiring an additional 321 shares during the last quarter. Finally, SummitTX Capital L.P. boosted its holdings in shares of Valvoline by 3.8% in the 4th quarter. SummitTX Capital L.P. now owns 9,008 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $262,000 after acquiring an additional 326 shares during the last quarter. 96.13% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Valvoline Stock Up 1.5%

Valvoline stock opened at $38.89 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.61, a current ratio of 0.73 and a quick ratio of 0.61. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.96 billion, a PE ratio of 53.28 and a beta of 0.99. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $37.16 and a 200-day simple moving average of $35.30. Valvoline has a 12 month low of $28.50 and a 12 month high of $41.33.

Valvoline (NYSE:VVV) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The basic materials company reported $0.41 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.35 by $0.06. Valvoline had a return on equity of 66.54% and a net margin of 5.03%.The firm had revenue of $503.80 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $495.67 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.34 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 25.0% on a year-over-year basis. Valvoline has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.650-1.750 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that Valvoline will post 1.75 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Zacks Research raised shares of Valvoline from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 21st. TD Cowen upped their price target on shares of Valvoline from $42.00 to $47.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, July 20th. Barclays lifted their price objective on Valvoline from $35.00 to $41.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Piper Sandler reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $44.00 price objective (up from $41.00) on shares of Valvoline in a report on Friday, May 8th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded Valvoline from an “underweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $35.00 price target for the company in a research report on Friday, May 29th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $42.50.

Insider Activity at Valvoline

In related news, CFO J Kevin Willis bought 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 14th. The stock was acquired 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 directly owned 32,725 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,040,655. This trade represents a 44.00% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Richard Joseph Freeland purchased 3,100 shares of Valvoline stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 14th. The shares were bought at an average price of $32.37 per share, with a total value of $100,347.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 16,112 shares in the company, valued at approximately $521,545.44. The trade was a 23.82% increase in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. In the last three months, insiders acquired 14,100 shares of company stock valued at $450,877. 0.66% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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).