First Trust Advisors LP Trims Holdings in Valvoline $VVV

First Trust Advisors LP trimmed its holdings in shares of Valvoline (NYSE:VVV) by 26.8% in the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 54,140 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 19,807 shares during the quarter. First Trust Advisors LP’s holdings in Valvoline were worth $1,823,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in VVV. William Blair Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in Valvoline in the 4th quarter valued at about $20,334,000. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. increased its position in shares of Valvoline by 6.7% during the first quarter. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. now owns 2,881,998 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $97,066,000 after acquiring an additional 182,060 shares during the period. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Valvoline during the fourth quarter worth approximately $39,651,000. Fiduciary Management Inc. WI increased its position in shares of Valvoline by 4.6% during the fourth quarter. Fiduciary Management Inc. WI now owns 4,972,363 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $144,497,000 after acquiring an additional 220,642 shares during the period. Finally, Royce & Associates LP raised its stake in shares of Valvoline by 33.2% during the fourth quarter. Royce & Associates LP now owns 1,733,739 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $50,382,000 after acquiring an additional 431,687 shares in the last quarter. 96.13% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

VVV has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price objective on Valvoline from $42.00 to $44.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, May 11th. Stephens lifted their target price on Valvoline from $44.00 to $48.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 28th. Barclays upped their target price on Valvoline from $35.00 to $41.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 21st. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “buy” rating and set a $45.00 price target on shares of Valvoline in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. Finally, Piper Sandler restated an “overweight” rating and set a $44.00 price target on shares of Valvoline in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $42.56.

Valvoline Trading Down 0.5%

NYSE:VVV opened at $35.44 on Friday. Valvoline has a 52 week low of $28.50 and a 52 week high of $41.33. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $38.10 and a 200 day moving average of $35.79. The company has a quick ratio of 0.61, a current ratio of 0.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.77. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 44.30 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 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $543.21 million. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.47 earnings per share. Valvoline’s revenue was up 24.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Valvoline has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.700-1.750 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Valvoline will post 1.75 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Jonathan L. Caldwell sold 2,851 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $40.00, for a total value of $114,040.00. Following the completion of 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 Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Richard Joseph Freeland bought 3,100 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 14th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $32.37 per share, for a total transaction of $100,347.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director owned 16,112 shares in the company, valued at $521,545.44. The trade was a 23.82% increase in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. In the last 90 days, insiders have bought 14,100 shares of company stock worth $450,877. 0.66% of the stock is currently owned by company 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).