Legal & General Group Plc Buys Shares of 185,973 Valvoline $VVV

Legal & General Group Plc purchased a new position in Valvoline (NYSE:VVV) during the 2nd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund purchased 185,973 shares of the basic materials company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,353,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of VVV. William Blair Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in Valvoline during the fourth quarter valued at about $20,334,000. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Valvoline in the fourth quarter worth about $39,651,000. Fiduciary Management Inc. WI lifted its position in shares of Valvoline by 4.6% during 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 buying an additional 220,642 shares in the last quarter. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. lifted its position in shares of Valvoline by 6.7% during 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 buying an additional 182,060 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Fifth Third Bancorp grew its stake in shares of Valvoline by 2,154.3% during the 1st quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 34,919 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $1,176,000 after acquiring an additional 33,370 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 96.13% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

VVV has been the subject of several analyst reports. Stephens increased their target price on shares of Valvoline from $44.00 to $48.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 28th. Benchmark began coverage on shares of Valvoline in a report on Wednesday, August 19th. They set a “buy” rating and a $48.00 price target on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $45.00 price target on shares of Valvoline in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. Royal Bank Of Canada reduced their price objective on shares of Valvoline from $47.00 to $46.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, August 6th. Finally, Piper Sandler restated an “overweight” rating and set a $44.00 price objective on shares of Valvoline in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. Twelve analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Valvoline currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $42.88.

Valvoline Stock Down 0.2%

NYSE VVV opened at $31.78 on Thursday. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $36.76 and its 200 day moving average is $35.63. The company has a current ratio of 0.70, a quick ratio of 0.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.77. Valvoline has a 12 month low of $28.50 and a 12 month high of $41.33. The stock has a market cap of $4.06 billion, a PE ratio of 39.73 and a beta of 0.99.

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

Insider Activity at Valvoline

In related news, CAO Jordan M. Denny purchased 1,506 shares of Valvoline stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 12th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $33.20 per share, for a total transaction of $49,999.20. Following the acquisition, the chief accounting officer owned 4,121 shares in the company, valued at approximately $136,817.20. The trade was a 57.59% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Julie Marie O’daniel sold 3,700 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $33.81, for a total transaction of $125,097.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 14,279 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $482,772.99. This trade represents a 20.58% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.66% of the stock is currently 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).