William Blair Investment Management LLC Acquires New Shares in Valvoline $VVV

William Blair Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in Valvoline (NYSE:VVV) in the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 821,239 shares of the basic materials company’s stock, valued at approximately $32,472,000. William Blair Investment Management LLC owned 0.64% of Valvoline at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Landscape Capital Management L.L.C. purchased a new position in Valvoline during the 2nd quarter valued at about $2,162,000. Callan Family Office LLC bought a new stake in shares of Valvoline in the 2nd quarter valued at about $409,000. Allworth Financial LP bought a new stake in shares of Valvoline in the 2nd quarter valued at about $216,000. B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG purchased a new stake in shares of Valvoline in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $3,715,000. Finally, BlackRock Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Valvoline in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $501,851,000. 96.13% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Valvoline news, CAO Jordan M. Denny bought 1,506 shares of Valvoline stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 12th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $33.20 per share, with a total value of $49,999.20. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 4,121 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $136,817.20. This represents a 57.59% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Jonathan L. Caldwell sold 2,851 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 25th. The shares were 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 approximately $836,720. This trade represents a 11.99% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 0.66% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Valvoline Trading Up 0.3%

NYSE:VVV opened at $33.92 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 42.40 and a beta of 1.00. Valvoline has a 52 week low of $28.50 and a 52 week high of $41.33. The company has a quick ratio of 0.58, a current ratio of 0.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.77. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $37.68 and a 200 day moving average of $35.87.

Valvoline (NYSE:VVV) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The basic materials company reported $0.57 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.50 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $544.60 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $543.21 million. Valvoline had a net margin of 5.17% and a return on equity of 65.12%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 24.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.47 earnings per share. Valvoline has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.700-1.750 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Valvoline will post 1.76 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages recently issued reports on VVV. Royal Bank Of Canada cut their price objective on shares of Valvoline from $47.00 to $46.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, August 6th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on Valvoline from $42.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 21st. Piper Sandler reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $44.00 target price on shares of Valvoline in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. Benchmark initiated coverage on Valvoline in a research report on Wednesday. They set a “buy” rating and a $48.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Citigroup reiterated a “neutral” rating on shares of Valvoline in a report on Thursday, July 16th. Twelve investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Valvoline has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $42.88.

Valvoline Profile

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).