Valvoline (NYSE:VVV) Upgraded to “Strong-Buy” at Benchmark

Benchmark upgraded shares of Valvoline (NYSE:VVV) to a strong-buy rating in a report issued on Wednesday,Zacks.com reports.

Other equities research analysts have also issued reports about the stock. TD Cowen reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Valvoline in a report on Wednesday. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Valvoline from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a report on Thursday, August 6th. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $45.00 price objective on shares of Valvoline in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. Barclays raised their target price on Valvoline from $35.00 to $41.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 21st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised Valvoline from an “underweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $35.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Friday, May 29th. 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. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $42.88.

Valvoline Stock Up 0.3%

NYSE VVV opened at $33.92 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.58, a current ratio of 0.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.77. Valvoline has a fifty-two week low of $28.50 and a fifty-two week high of $41.33. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $37.68 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $35.87. The stock has a market cap of $4.33 billion, a PE ratio of 42.40 and a beta of 1.00.

Valvoline (NYSE:VVV) last posted 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 company had revenue of $544.60 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $543.21 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.47 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 24.1% on a year-over-year basis. Valvoline has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.700-1.750 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Valvoline will post 1.76 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, 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 value of $114,040.00. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 20,918 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $836,720. This represents a 11.99% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CAO Jordan M. Denny purchased 1,506 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 12th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $33.20 per share, for a total transaction of $49,999.20. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief accounting officer directly owned 4,121 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $136,817.20. This represents a 57.59% increase in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. 0.66% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Valvoline

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Royal Bank of Canada raised its stake in shares of Valvoline by 298.5% in the 1st quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 253,447 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $8,822,000 after purchasing an additional 189,842 shares in the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. grew its stake in Valvoline by 4.6% in the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 858,584 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $29,887,000 after purchasing an additional 37,657 shares in the last quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC grew its stake in Valvoline by 4.5% in the first quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 487,609 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $16,974,000 after purchasing an additional 20,947 shares in the last quarter. Jane Street Group LLC increased its holdings in Valvoline by 15.7% in the first quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 124,071 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $4,319,000 after buying an additional 16,865 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Creative Planning increased its holdings in Valvoline by 40.1% in the second quarter. Creative Planning now owns 8,225 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $311,000 after buying an additional 2,353 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 96.13% of the company’s stock.

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).