Valvoline (NYSE:VVV) Upgraded at Zacks Research

Valvoline (NYSE:VVV) was upgraded by Zacks Research from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note issued to investors on Tuesday,Zacks.com reports.

A number of other analysts also recently weighed in on VVV. Roth Capital reissued a “buy” rating and set a $46.00 price target on shares of Valvoline in a research report on Friday, May 8th. Citigroup reaffirmed a “neutral” rating on shares of Valvoline in a report on Thursday, July 16th. Piper Sandler reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $44.00 price objective (up from $41.00) on shares of Valvoline in a research note on Friday, May 8th. 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 report on Monday, May 11th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of Valvoline from $42.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $42.50.

Valvoline Trading Down 1.2%

Shares of VVV opened at $38.98 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $4.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 53.40 and a beta of 0.99. Valvoline has a one year low of $28.50 and a one year high of $41.33. 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 50-day moving average price of $36.92 and a 200 day moving average price of $35.21.

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

Insider Transactions at Valvoline

In other Valvoline news, Director Jennifer Lynn Slater acquired 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, May 15th. The stock was purchased at an average price 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 in the company, valued at $32,530. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Jonathan L. Caldwell sold 2,851 shares of Valvoline stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $40.00, for a total transaction of $114,040.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 20,918 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $836,720. This represents a 11.99% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have acquired a total of 14,100 shares of company stock valued at $450,877 over the last 90 days. Insiders own 0.66% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Fulton Bank N.A. boosted its holdings in shares of Valvoline by 18.1% in the 2nd quarter. Fulton Bank N.A. now owns 12,280 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $486,000 after buying an additional 1,886 shares during the period. Trust Point Inc. acquired a new stake in Valvoline during the second quarter worth about $211,000. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its stake in Valvoline by 39.9% during the second quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,435 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $57,000 after acquiring an additional 409 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC raised its stake in Valvoline by 38.0% during the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 6,424 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $216,000 after acquiring an additional 1,768 shares during the period. Finally, Summitry LLC lifted its holdings in Valvoline by 15.8% in the first quarter. Summitry LLC now owns 9,200 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $310,000 after acquiring an additional 1,258 shares during the last quarter. 96.13% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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).