Lotus Technology Management LP Invests $646,000 in Valvoline $VVV

Lotus Technology Management LP bought a new position in shares of Valvoline (NYSE:VVV) in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 16,337 shares of the basic materials company’s stock, valued at approximately $646,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in VVV. Royal Bank of Canada lifted its position in Valvoline by 298.5% during the 1st quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 253,447 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $8,822,000 after buying an additional 189,842 shares in the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Valvoline by 4.6% during the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 858,584 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $29,887,000 after buying an additional 37,657 shares during the last quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC grew its holdings in shares of Valvoline by 4.5% in the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 487,609 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $16,974,000 after acquiring an additional 20,947 shares in the last quarter. Jane Street Group LLC increased its position in shares of Valvoline by 15.7% in the first quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 124,071 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $4,319,000 after acquiring an additional 16,865 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Creative Planning increased its position in shares of Valvoline by 40.1% in the second quarter. Creative Planning now owns 8,225 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $311,000 after acquiring an additional 2,353 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 96.13% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts recently commented on the company. Weiss Ratings raised Valvoline from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 6th. Royal Bank Of Canada lowered their price target on Valvoline from $47.00 to $46.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, August 6th. Roth Capital reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $46.00 price objective on shares of Valvoline in a research note on Friday, May 8th. Wells Fargo & Company increased 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. Finally, Stephens raised their target price on shares of Valvoline from $44.00 to $48.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 28th. Twelve investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $42.88.

Insider Transactions at Valvoline

In related news, insider Jonathan L. Caldwell sold 2,851 shares of Valvoline 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 completion of the sale, 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 position. 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, insider Julie Marie O’daniel sold 3,700 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction 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 completion of the sale, the insider owned 14,279 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $482,772.99. This trade represents a 20.58% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Corporate insiders own 0.66% of the company’s stock.

Valvoline Price Performance

Shares of VVV opened at $32.94 on Wednesday. The company’s 50-day moving average is $37.49 and its 200-day moving average is $35.87. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $4.20 billion, a PE ratio of 41.18 and a beta of 1.00. Valvoline has a fifty-two week low of $28.50 and a fifty-two week high of $41.33.

Valvoline (NYSE:VVV) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The basic materials company reported $0.57 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.50 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $544.60 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $543.21 million. Valvoline had a net margin of 5.17% and a return on equity of 65.12%. Valvoline’s revenue was up 24.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.47 EPS. Valvoline has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.700-1.750 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that Valvoline will post 1.76 EPS for the current year.

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).