Valvoline $VVV Shares Bought by Wesbanco Bank Inc.

Wesbanco Bank Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Valvoline (NYSE:VVV) by 25.2% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 88,451 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after purchasing an additional 17,800 shares during the quarter. Wesbanco Bank Inc. owned approximately 0.07% of Valvoline worth $2,979,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Eminence Capital LP acquired a new position in Valvoline during the fourth quarter worth about $122,409,000. Hawk Ridge Capital Management LP increased its stake in shares of 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% during the 3rd quarter. Boston Partners now owns 5,537,621 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $198,835,000 after acquiring an additional 1,560,328 shares during the period. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Valvoline during the 4th quarter worth $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. 96.13% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity 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, Director Richard Joseph Freeland acquired 3,100 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 14th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $32.37 per share, with a total value of $100,347.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 16,112 shares in the company, valued at $521,545.44. This trade represents a 23.82% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. In the last quarter, insiders have bought 14,100 shares of company stock valued at $450,877. 0.66% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on VVV shares. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price objective on shares of Valvoline from $42.00 to $44.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, May 11th. Barclays began coverage on shares of Valvoline in a report on Thursday, May 28th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $35.00 target price on the stock. Piper Sandler reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $44.00 price target (up from $41.00) on shares of Valvoline in a research note on Friday, May 8th. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their price target on shares of Valvoline from $46.00 to $47.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, May 8th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $45.00 price target on shares of Valvoline in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $40.93.

Valvoline Stock Up 1.0%

Shares of NYSE:VVV opened at $40.11 on Friday. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $34.92 and a 200 day moving average price of $34.06. The company has a current ratio of 0.73, a quick ratio of 0.61 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.61. The company has a market capitalization of $5.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 54.95 and a beta of 1.02. Valvoline has a 12-month low of $28.50 and a 12-month high of $41.33.

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

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).