Valvoline $VVV Shares Sold by South Dakota Investment Council

South Dakota Investment Council lessened its stake in shares of Valvoline (NYSE:VVV) by 32.9% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 60,855 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 29,900 shares during the quarter. South Dakota Investment Council’s holdings in Valvoline were worth $2,050,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Measured Wealth Private Client Group LLC purchased a new position in Valvoline in the 1st quarter valued at $28,000. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd raised its position in Valvoline by 1,621.3% during the 3rd quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 1,050 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $38,000 after buying an additional 989 shares during the last quarter. Cedar Mountain Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Valvoline during the 1st quarter worth $42,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Valvoline by 90.1% in the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,458 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $55,000 after acquiring an additional 691 shares during the period. Finally, Quarry LP acquired a new stake in shares of Valvoline in the 3rd quarter worth $60,000. 96.13% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have recently weighed in on VVV shares. New Street Research set a $47.00 target price on shares of Valvoline in a report on Monday, July 20th. Stephens increased their price target on shares of Valvoline from $44.00 to $48.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday. Barclays raised 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. Roth Capital reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $46.00 price objective on shares of Valvoline in a report on Friday, May 8th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on Valvoline from $42.00 to $45.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 21st. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $42.75.

Valvoline Price Performance

Valvoline stock opened at $38.49 on Friday. 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 4.61, a quick ratio of 0.61 and a current ratio of 0.73. The business has a fifty day moving average of $37.78 and a two-hundred day moving average of $35.59. The company has a market cap of $4.91 billion, a P/E ratio of 52.72 and a beta of 0.99.

Valvoline (NYSE:VVV) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The basic materials company reported $0.41 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.35 by $0.06. Valvoline had a net margin of 5.03% and a return on equity of 66.54%. The company had revenue of $503.80 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $495.67 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.34 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 25.0% on a year-over-year basis. Valvoline has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.650-1.750 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that Valvoline will post 1.75 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Valvoline

In related news, Director Richard Joseph Freeland bought 3,100 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 14th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $32.37 per share, with a total value of $100,347.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director owned 16,112 shares in the company, valued at approximately $521,545.44. This represents a 23.82% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, insider Jonathan L. Caldwell sold 2,851 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the insider directly owned 20,918 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $836,720. This trade represents a 11.99% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders bought a total of 14,100 shares of company stock worth $450,877 in the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.66% 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).