Valvoline (NYSE:VVV) Upgraded to “Hold” at Zacks Research

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

Several other brokerages also recently commented on VVV. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on Valvoline from $42.00 to $38.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, November 20th. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on shares of Valvoline in a research note on Wednesday, December 17th. They set a “buy” rating and a $40.00 target price for the company. TD Cowen cut their price target on shares of Valvoline from $45.00 to $37.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, November 20th. Mizuho reduced their price target on shares of Valvoline from $43.00 to $38.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, December 15th. Finally, Citigroup dropped their target price on shares of Valvoline from $35.00 to $34.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, November 20th. 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 stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Valvoline has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $38.87.

Valvoline Price Performance

Valvoline stock opened at $31.31 on Monday. Valvoline has a 12-month low of $28.50 and a 12-month high of $41.33. The company has a current ratio of 0.70, a quick ratio of 0.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.10. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $30.72 and a 200-day moving average price of $34.61. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.98 billion, a PE ratio of 19.09 and a beta of 1.18.

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

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Julie Marie O’daniel sold 3,200 shares of Valvoline stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $31.88, for a total value of $102,016.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 17,251 shares in the company, valued at $549,961.88. This trade represents a 15.65% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Lori Ann Flees purchased 4,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, November 24th. The shares were bought at an average price of $30.82 per share, for a total transaction of $138,690.00. Following the purchase, the chief executive officer directly owned 69,267 shares in the company, valued at $2,134,808.94. This represents a 6.95% increase in their position. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.66% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Valvoline

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. raised its stake in Valvoline by 18.1% in the 4th quarter. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. now owns 2,699,938 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $78,460,000 after acquiring an additional 413,520 shares during the last quarter. Sendero Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Valvoline by 13.7% in the fourth quarter. Sendero Wealth Management LLC now owns 31,946 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $928,000 after purchasing an additional 3,850 shares during the period. Balefire LLC raised its stake in shares of Valvoline by 47.4% in the fourth quarter. Balefire LLC now owns 90,798 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $2,639,000 after purchasing an additional 29,204 shares during the last quarter. DAVENPORT & Co LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Valvoline by 10.4% during the fourth quarter. DAVENPORT & Co LLC now owns 14,774 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $429,000 after purchasing an additional 1,396 shares during the period. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC boosted its position in Valvoline by 57.7% in the fourth quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 38,308 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $1,113,000 after buying an additional 14,012 shares during 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).