Confluence Investment Management LLC Lowers Stock Position in Valvoline $VVV

Confluence Investment Management LLC decreased its position in Valvoline (NYSE:VVV) by 9.5% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 358,538 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 37,607 shares during the period. Confluence Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Valvoline were worth $10,806,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Measured Wealth Private Client Group LLC purchased a new position in Valvoline in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC purchased a new position in shares of Valvoline during the second quarter worth about $35,000. Cedar Mountain Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Valvoline in the 1st quarter worth $42,000. Bullseye Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Valvoline during the 2nd quarter valued at $54,000. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Valvoline by 39.9% during the 2nd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,435 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $57,000 after acquiring an additional 409 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 96.13% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

VVV has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on Valvoline from $42.00 to $45.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 21st. New Street Research set a $34.00 price objective on Valvoline in a report on Thursday. Citigroup restated a “neutral” rating on shares of Valvoline in a research report on Thursday. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their target price on Valvoline from $46.00 to $49.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, September 11th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Valvoline in a research note on Thursday. Thirteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $42.29.

Valvoline Trading Up 0.4%

Valvoline stock traded up $0.12 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $30.27. The stock had a trading volume of 810,130 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,168,033. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.77, a current ratio of 0.70 and a quick ratio of 0.58. The stock has a market cap of $3.86 billion, a PE ratio of 37.81 and a beta of 0.99. Valvoline has a 52 week low of $26.21 and a 52 week high of $41.08. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $32.84 and a 200-day simple moving average of $34.51.

Valvoline (NYSE:VVV) last released its quarterly earnings results 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 analyst estimates of $543.21 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.47 EPS. Valvoline’s quarterly 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. Analysts forecast that Valvoline will post 1.76 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Valvoline announced that its board has approved a share buyback plan on Tuesday, September 29th that permits the company to buyback $175.00 million in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the basic materials company to reacquire up to 4.8% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are typically an indication that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Transactions at Valvoline

In related news, CAO Jordan Denny purchased 1,506 shares of Valvoline stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 12th. The shares were bought at an average price of $33.20 per share, for a total transaction of $49,999.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 4,121 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $136,817.20. This represents a 57.59% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Julie O’Daniel sold 3,700 shares of Valvoline stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $33.81, for a total value of $125,097.00. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 14,279 shares in the company, valued at approximately $482,772.99. The trade was a 20.58% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders own 0.66% of the company’s stock.

About Valvoline

Valvoline Inc (NYSE: VVV) is an automotive services company that operates and franchises quick-lube service centers. Its locations provide routine vehicle maintenance, including oil changes, fluid services, filter replacement, battery replacement, windshield wiper replacement and tire services. The company’s service model is designed to allow customers to receive maintenance without a scheduled appointment or leaving their vehicle.

Valvoline serves customers primarily in the United States and Canada through company-operated and franchised service centers under the Valvoline Instant Oil Change and related brands.