Valvoline (NYSE:VVV) Downgraded by Zacks Research to Hold

Zacks Research cut shares of Valvoline (NYSE:VVV) from a strong-buy rating to a hold rating in a research report released on Wednesday morning,Zacks.com reports.

VVV has been the topic of a number of other reports. Piper Sandler reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $44.00 price target on shares of Valvoline in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of Valvoline from $42.00 to $45.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 21st. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $45.00 price target on shares of Valvoline in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Citigroup reissued a “neutral” rating on shares of Valvoline in a report on Thursday, July 16th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded shares of Valvoline from an “underweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $35.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Friday, May 29th. Twelve analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Valvoline currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $42.88.

Valvoline Trading Down 0.5%

Shares of Valvoline stock opened at $33.94 on Wednesday. Valvoline has a fifty-two week low of $28.50 and a fifty-two week high of $41.33. The firm has a market cap of $4.33 billion, a PE ratio of 42.42 and a beta of 1.00. The business’s fifty day moving average is $37.76 and its two-hundred day moving average is $35.88. 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 (NYSE:VVV) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 5th. The basic materials company reported $0.57 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.50 by $0.07. Valvoline had a return on equity of 65.12% and a net margin of 5.17%.The business had revenue of $544.60 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $543.21 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.47 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 24.1% on a year-over-year basis. Valvoline has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.700-1.750 EPS. Analysts anticipate that Valvoline will post 1.76 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at Valvoline

In other news, insider Jonathan L. Caldwell sold 2,851 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $40.00, for a total transaction of $114,040.00. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 20,918 shares in the company, valued at approximately $836,720. The trade was a 11.99% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CAO Jordan M. Denny bought 1,506 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 12th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $33.20 per share, for a total transaction of $49,999.20. Following the purchase, the chief accounting officer owned 4,121 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $136,817.20. This trade represents a 57.59% increase in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders own 0.66% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Measured Wealth Private Client Group LLC bought a new position in Valvoline in the 1st quarter worth approximately $28,000. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd grew its stake in Valvoline by 1,621.3% in the third quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 1,050 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $38,000 after acquiring an additional 989 shares during the period. Cedar Mountain Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Valvoline during the first quarter worth $42,000. Vestor Capital LLC raised its stake in shares of Valvoline by 169.4% in the 1st quarter. Vestor Capital LLC now owns 1,646 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $55,000 after purchasing an additional 1,035 shares during the period. Finally, UMB Bank n.a. grew its stake in shares of Valvoline by 20.3% during the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 1,906 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $55,000 after acquiring an additional 321 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 96.13% of the company’s stock.

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).