Valvoline (NYSE:VVV) Raised to Strong-Buy at Roth Capital

Valvoline (NYSE:VVV) was upgraded by Roth Capital to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report issued on Wednesday,Zacks.com reports.

Several other brokerages have also recently weighed in on VVV. Mizuho reduced their target price on shares of Valvoline from $43.00 to $38.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Monday. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Valvoline in a research report on Tuesday, December 9th. Zacks Research cut Valvoline from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Friday, November 21st. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Valvoline in a research report on Monday. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on shares of Valvoline from $38.00 to $30.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, November 20th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $38.87.

Valvoline Price Performance

VVV opened at $29.60 on Wednesday. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $32.00 and its 200 day moving average price is $35.66. Valvoline has a 12-month low of $29.29 and a 12-month high of $41.33. The firm has a market cap of $3.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.05 and a beta of 1.17. The company has a current ratio of 0.70, a quick ratio of 0.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.10.

Valvoline (NYSE:VVV) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 19th. The basic materials company reported $0.45 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.47 by ($0.02). The business had revenue of $453.80 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $455.70 million. Valvoline had a return on equity of 72.49% and a net margin of 12.32%.During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.46 earnings per share. Valvoline has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.600-1070.000 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Valvoline will post 1.63 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Valvoline news, CEO Lori Ann Flees acquired 4,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, November 24th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $30.82 per share, with a total value of $138,690.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 69,267 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,134,808.94. This trade represents a 6.95% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Julie Marie O’daniel sold 3,200 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $31.88, for a total value of $102,016.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 17,251 shares in the company, valued at $549,961.88. This trade represents a 15.65% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.66% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Valvoline

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Maseco LLP purchased a new position in Valvoline during the second quarter worth about $27,000. Community Bank N.A. acquired a new position in Valvoline during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $27,000. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd increased 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 purchasing an additional 989 shares during the period. Bayforest Capital Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Valvoline during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $39,000. Finally, Elevation Point Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Valvoline in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $43,000. Hedge funds and other 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).