Zacks Research Downgrades Valvoline (NYSE:VVV) to Hold

Valvoline (NYSE:VVV) was downgraded by analysts at Zacks Research from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Wednesday,Zacks.com reports.

Several other analysts have also recently weighed in on the stock. New Street Research set a $47.00 price target on shares of Valvoline in a research note on Monday, July 20th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Valvoline from $42.00 to $45.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 21st. Barclays upped their price objective on Valvoline from $35.00 to $41.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 21st. TD Cowen reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Valvoline in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised Valvoline from an “underweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $35.00 target price for the company in a research note on Friday, May 29th. Twelve investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $42.88.

Valvoline Trading Down 0.5%

Shares of VVV stock opened at $33.94 on Wednesday. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $37.76 and its 200-day moving average price is $35.88. The company has a current ratio of 0.70, a quick ratio of 0.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.77. The stock has a market cap of $4.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 42.42 and a beta of 1.00. Valvoline has a twelve month low of $28.50 and a twelve month high of $41.33.

Valvoline (NYSE:VVV) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 5th. The basic materials company reported $0.57 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.50 by $0.07. Valvoline had a net margin of 5.17% and a return on equity of 65.12%. The firm had revenue of $544.60 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $543.21 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.47 earnings per share. Valvoline’s quarterly revenue was up 24.1% on a year-over-year basis. Valvoline has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.700-1.750 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that Valvoline will post 1.76 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Valvoline

In other news, insider Jonathan L. Caldwell sold 2,851 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $40.00, for a total value of $114,040.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 20,918 shares in the company, valued at approximately $836,720. This represents a 11.99% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CAO Jordan M. Denny acquired 1,506 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 12th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $33.20 per share, with a total value of $49,999.20. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 4,121 shares in the company, valued at $136,817.20. This trade represents a 57.59% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. 0.66% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Valvoline during the second quarter worth $501,851,000. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Valvoline by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 12,323,516 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $358,121,000 after buying an additional 94,813 shares during the period. Boston Partners lifted its stake in Valvoline by 20.6% during the 4th quarter. Boston Partners now owns 6,679,911 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $194,449,000 after acquiring an additional 1,142,290 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its stake in Valvoline by 11.2% during the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 6,067,541 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $176,323,000 after acquiring an additional 610,014 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Fiduciary Management Inc. WI lifted its stake in Valvoline by 4.6% during the 4th quarter. Fiduciary Management Inc. WI now owns 4,972,363 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $144,497,000 after acquiring an additional 220,642 shares in the last quarter. 96.13% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Valvoline

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).