Valvoline (NYSE:VVV) Upgraded at Stifel Nicolaus

Stifel Nicolaus upgraded shares of Valvoline (NYSE:VVV) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a report published on Monday morning, Marketbeat.com reports. Stifel Nicolaus currently has $42.00 price objective on the basic materials company’s stock, up from their previous price objective of $40.00.

VVV has been the subject of a number of other reports. Roth Mkm reissued a “buy” rating and set a $44.00 price objective on shares of Valvoline in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. Mizuho set a $40.00 target price on shares of Valvoline in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered shares of Valvoline from a “neutral” rating to an “underweight” rating and increased their target price for the stock from $30.00 to $35.00 in a research note on Thursday, February 12th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Valvoline from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, January 19th. Finally, Citigroup boosted their price target on shares of Valvoline from $34.00 to $37.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. Twelve equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Valvoline presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $40.38.

Valvoline Trading Up 2.3%

VVV opened at $35.16 on Monday. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.48 billion, a PE ratio of 52.47 and a beta of 1.16. Valvoline has a one year low of $28.50 and a one year high of $41.33. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.31, a quick ratio of 0.57 and a current ratio of 0.70. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $35.34 and its 200 day moving average price is $33.91.

Valvoline (NYSE:VVV) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The basic materials company reported $0.37 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.34 by $0.03. Valvoline had a return on equity of 69.71% and a net margin of 4.91%.The company had revenue of $461.80 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $466.87 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.32 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 11.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Valvoline has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.600-1.700 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Valvoline will post 1.63 EPS for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Valvoline

In related news, insider Julie Marie O’daniel sold 4,312 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $38.55, for a total transaction of $166,227.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 17,979 shares in the company, valued at $693,090.45. This trade represents a 19.34% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Insiders own 0.66% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Valvoline

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of VVV. Eminence Capital LP acquired a new stake in shares of Valvoline during the fourth quarter worth about $122,409,000. Hawk Ridge Capital Management LP grew its holdings in shares of Valvoline by 142.0% in the fourth quarter. Hawk Ridge Capital Management LP now owns 2,738,245 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $79,573,000 after purchasing an additional 1,606,810 shares in the last quarter. Boston Partners increased its stake in Valvoline by 67.3% during the 2nd quarter. Boston Partners now owns 3,977,293 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $150,604,000 after buying an additional 1,599,973 shares during the period. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Valvoline during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $57,739,000. Finally, Channing Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in Valvoline by 189.8% during the 2nd quarter. Channing Capital Management LLC now owns 2,163,631 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $81,937,000 after buying an additional 1,417,156 shares in the last quarter. 96.13% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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).