Man Group plc Makes New Investment in Valvoline $VVV

Man Group plc purchased a new stake in shares of Valvoline (NYSE:VVV) during the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 466,311 shares of the basic materials company’s stock, valued at approximately $18,438,000.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in VVV. Measured Wealth Private Client Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Valvoline in the 1st quarter worth approximately $28,000. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd grew its holdings in shares of 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 valued at $38,000 after purchasing an additional 989 shares during the last quarter. Cedar Mountain Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Valvoline during the 1st quarter valued at $42,000. GAMMA Investing LLC grew 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 valued at $57,000 after purchasing an additional 409 shares during the last quarter. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in Valvoline by 90.1% in the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,458 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $55,000 after purchasing an additional 691 shares during the period. 96.13% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have weighed in on VVV. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of Valvoline from an “underweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $35.00 price target for the company in a research note on Friday, May 29th. TD Cowen reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Valvoline in a report on Wednesday, August 19th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on Valvoline from $42.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 21st. Stephens boosted their target price on Valvoline from $44.00 to $48.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 28th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “buy” rating and set a $45.00 target price on shares of Valvoline in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Twelve equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $42.88.

Insider Transactions at Valvoline

In related news, insider Jonathan L. Caldwell sold 2,851 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $40.00, for a total transaction of $114,040.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 20,918 shares in the company, valued at $836,720. The trade was a 11.99% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CAO Jordan M. Denny purchased 1,506 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 12th. The shares were acquired 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 in the company, valued at $136,817.20. The trade was a 57.59% increase in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. 0.66% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Valvoline Trading Down 2.2%

NYSE:VVV opened at $32.02 on Friday. The company has a fifty day moving average of $37.27 and a 200 day moving average of $35.80. 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 market capitalization of $4.08 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.02 and a beta of 1.00.

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

Valvoline Company 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).