Lotus Technology Management LP Acquires New Position in Valvoline $VVV

Lotus Technology Management LP acquired a new stake in Valvoline (NYSE:VVV) during the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm acquired 16,337 shares of the basic materials company’s stock, valued at approximately $646,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of VVV. William Blair Investment Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Valvoline in the 4th quarter worth $20,334,000. Fiduciary Management Inc. WI increased its holdings in Valvoline by 4.6% in the fourth quarter. Fiduciary Management Inc. WI now owns 4,972,363 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $144,497,000 after purchasing an additional 220,642 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Valvoline in the fourth quarter valued at about $39,651,000. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. lifted its stake in Valvoline by 6.7% in the first 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 during the period. Finally, Fifth Third Bancorp boosted its holdings in Valvoline by 2,154.3% during the first quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 34,919 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $1,176,000 after buying an additional 33,370 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.13% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Valvoline

In other Valvoline news, insider Jonathan L. Caldwell sold 2,851 shares of Valvoline stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $40.00, for a total value of $114,040.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 20,918 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $836,720. This trade represents a 11.99% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, insider Julie Marie O’daniel sold 3,700 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $33.81, for a total value of $125,097.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 14,279 shares in the company, valued at approximately $482,772.99. This trade represents a 20.58% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.66% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on VVV shares. Citigroup restated a “neutral” rating on shares of Valvoline in a research report on Thursday, July 16th. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Valvoline from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 19th. New Street Research set a $47.00 price objective on shares of Valvoline in a research note on Monday, July 20th. Piper Sandler restated an “overweight” rating and set a $44.00 price objective on shares of Valvoline in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised shares of Valvoline from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 6th. Twelve analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $42.88.

Valvoline Price Performance

Shares of VVV opened at $32.94 on Wednesday. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $37.49 and a 200 day simple moving average of $35.87. Valvoline has a 52-week low of $28.50 and a 52-week high of $41.33. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.77, a quick ratio of 0.58 and a current ratio of 0.70. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.20 billion, a PE ratio of 41.18 and a beta of 1.00.

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

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).