Valvoline (NYSE:VVV) Raised to Strong-Buy at Benchmark

Valvoline (NYSE:VVV) was upgraded by Benchmark to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Wednesday,Zacks.com reports.

VVV has been the topic of a number of other research reports. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price objective on shares of Valvoline from $42.00 to $44.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, May 11th. Zacks Research lowered shares of Valvoline from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday. TD Cowen reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Valvoline in a research note on Wednesday. New Street Research set a $47.00 price objective on shares of Valvoline in a report on Monday, July 20th. Finally, Barclays upped their price objective on shares of Valvoline from $35.00 to $41.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 21st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $42.88.

Valvoline Price Performance

Shares of NYSE VVV opened at $33.92 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.77, a current ratio of 0.70 and a quick ratio of 0.58. Valvoline has a 1-year low of $28.50 and a 1-year high of $41.33. The company has a market capitalization of $4.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 42.40 and a beta of 1.00. The business has a 50-day moving average of $37.68 and a 200-day moving average of $35.87.

Valvoline (NYSE:VVV) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The basic materials company reported $0.57 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.50 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $544.60 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $543.21 million. Valvoline had a return on equity of 65.12% and a net margin of 5.17%.The company’s revenue was up 24.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.47 EPS. Valvoline has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.700-1.750 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Valvoline will post 1.76 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CAO Jordan M. Denny purchased 1,506 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 12th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $33.20 per share, for a total transaction of $49,999.20. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief accounting officer owned 4,121 shares in the company, valued at approximately $136,817.20. This represents a 57.59% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Jonathan L. Caldwell sold 2,851 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction 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 completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 20,918 shares in the company, valued at $836,720. This represents a 11.99% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Corporate insiders own 0.66% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Valvoline

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of VVV. AXQ Capital LP acquired a new stake in shares of Valvoline in the 2nd quarter valued at about $1,066,000. iSAM Funds UK Ltd grew its stake in Valvoline by 66.7% in the second quarter. iSAM Funds UK Ltd now owns 10,200 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $403,000 after purchasing an additional 4,081 shares in the last quarter. Nykredit A S bought a new stake in Valvoline in the second quarter valued at about $179,000. Two Sigma Securities LLC bought a new stake in Valvoline in the second quarter valued at about $318,000. Finally, Mcmorgan & Co. LLC acquired a new stake in Valvoline during the second quarter valued at approximately $223,000. Institutional investors own 96.13% of the company’s stock.

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).