South Dakota Investment Council Decreases Position in Valvoline $VVV

South Dakota Investment Council decreased its position in Valvoline (NYSE:VVV) by 32.9% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 60,855 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 29,900 shares during the period. South Dakota Investment Council’s holdings in Valvoline were worth $2,050,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in VVV. William Blair Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Valvoline during the 4th quarter worth $20,334,000. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. grew its stake in Valvoline by 6.7% in the 1st quarter. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. now owns 2,881,998 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $97,066,000 after acquiring an additional 182,060 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Valvoline in the 4th quarter valued at about $39,651,000. Fiduciary Management Inc. WI grew its stake in Valvoline by 4.6% in the 4th quarter. Fiduciary Management Inc. WI now owns 4,972,363 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $144,497,000 after acquiring an additional 220,642 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Royce & Associates LP increased its holdings in Valvoline by 33.2% during the 4th quarter. Royce & Associates LP now owns 1,733,739 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $50,382,000 after acquiring an additional 431,687 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.13% of the company’s stock.

Valvoline Stock Up 0.3%

VVV opened at $38.49 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $4.91 billion, a P/E ratio of 52.72 and a beta of 0.99. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $37.78 and its 200 day simple moving average is $35.59. Valvoline has a 52 week low of $28.50 and a 52 week high of $41.33. The company has a quick ratio of 0.61, a current ratio of 0.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.61.

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on VVV shares. TD Cowen lifted their target price on shares of Valvoline from $42.00 to $47.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, July 20th. Piper Sandler reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $44.00 price target on shares of Valvoline in a research report on Wednesday. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “buy” rating and set a $45.00 price objective on shares of Valvoline in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Zacks Research upgraded Valvoline from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 21st. Finally, Citigroup reaffirmed a “neutral” rating on shares of Valvoline in a research note on Thursday, July 16th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Valvoline currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $42.75.

Insider Activity

In related 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 transaction of $114,040.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 20,918 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $836,720. This represents a 11.99% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CFO J Kevin Willis acquired 10,000 shares of Valvoline stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 14th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $31.80 per share, for a total transaction of $318,000.00. Following 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 position. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. In the last ninety days, insiders have acquired 14,100 shares of company stock valued at $450,877. 0.66% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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).