Valvoline (NYSE:VVV) Downgraded to Hold Rating by Zacks Research

Valvoline (NYSE:VVV) was downgraded by analysts at Zacks Research from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report released on Wednesday,Zacks.com reports.

Other analysts have also issued research reports about the company. Roth Capital reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $46.00 price objective on shares of Valvoline in a research report on Friday, May 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded Valvoline from an “underweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $35.00 target price for the company in a report on Friday, May 29th. Weiss Ratings raised Valvoline from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 6th. Royal Bank Of Canada cut their price target on Valvoline from $47.00 to $46.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, August 6th. Finally, TD Cowen reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Valvoline in a research report on Wednesday. Twelve equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Valvoline has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $42.88.

Valvoline Price Performance

Shares of VVV opened at $33.94 on Wednesday. Valvoline has a fifty-two week low of $28.50 and a fifty-two week high of $41.33. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $37.76 and its 200 day moving average price is $35.88. The company has a market cap of $4.33 billion, a P/E ratio of 42.42 and a beta of 1.00. The company has a quick ratio of 0.58, a current ratio of 0.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.77.

Valvoline (NYSE:VVV) last released its 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 company had revenue of $544.60 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $543.21 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.47 EPS. The firm’s quarterly 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 forecast that Valvoline will post 1.76 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CAO Jordan M. Denny acquired 1,506 shares of Valvoline stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 12th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $33.20 per share, for a total transaction of $49,999.20. Following the acquisition, the chief accounting officer owned 4,121 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $136,817.20. This trade represents a 57.59% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Jonathan L. Caldwell sold 2,851 shares of Valvoline stock in a transaction 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 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 ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 0.66% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Valvoline

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Alpine Woods Capital Investors LLC grew its stake in Valvoline by 2.5% during the 4th quarter. Alpine Woods Capital Investors LLC now owns 10,866 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $316,000 after buying an additional 267 shares during the last quarter. Orion Porfolio Solutions LLC increased its position in Valvoline by 1.0% during the second quarter. Orion Porfolio Solutions LLC now owns 28,510 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $1,080,000 after buying an additional 277 shares during the period. Quadrant Capital Group LLC lifted its stake in Valvoline by 4.2% in the fourth quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 7,912 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $230,000 after buying an additional 319 shares during the last quarter. UMB Bank n.a. lifted its stake in Valvoline by 20.3% in the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 1,906 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $55,000 after buying an additional 321 shares during the last quarter. Finally, SummitTX Capital L.P. boosted its holdings in shares of Valvoline by 3.8% in the fourth quarter. SummitTX Capital L.P. now owns 9,008 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $262,000 after acquiring an additional 326 shares during the period. 96.13% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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).