37,607 Valvoline $VVV Shares Sold by Confluence Investment Management LLC

Key Points

• Confluence Investment Management reduced its Valvoline stake by 9.5%, selling 37,607 shares and retaining 358,538 shares valued at approximately $10.8 million. Institutional investors collectively own 96.13% of the company.
• Analysts remain broadly positive, with 13 Buy ratings and five Holds, producing a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and a $42.29 price target.
• Valvoline beat quarterly earnings estimates with $0.57 in EPS and $544.6 million in revenue, while announcing a $175 million share-repurchase plan covering up to 4.8% of outstanding shares.

Confluence Investment Management LLC trimmed its holdings in Valvoline (NYSE:VVV - Free Report) by 9.5% during the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 358,538 shares of the basic materials company's stock after selling 37,607 shares during the quarter. Confluence Investment Management LLC owned about 0.28% of Valvoline worth $10,806,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Measured Wealth Private Client Group LLC bought a new stake in Valvoline in the first quarter worth approximately $28,000. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Valvoline during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $35,000. Cedar Mountain Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Valvoline in the 1st quarter valued at $42,000. Bullseye Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Valvoline during the 2nd quarter valued at $54,000. Finally, Vestor Capital LLC boosted its stake in Valvoline by 169.4% during the first quarter. Vestor Capital LLC now owns 1,646 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $55,000 after acquiring an additional 1,035 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.13% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

VVV has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Valvoline from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 19th. TD Cowen restated a "buy" rating on shares of Valvoline in a research note on Wednesday, August 19th. Stephens boosted their target price on Valvoline from $44.00 to $48.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 28th. Piper Sandler reiterated an "overweight" rating and issued a $44.00 price target on shares of Valvoline in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on Valvoline from $42.00 to $45.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 21st. Thirteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $42.29.

Insider Activity

In other Valvoline news, insider Julie O'Daniel sold 3,700 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 in the company, valued at approximately $482,772.99. This trade represents a 20.58% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CAO Jordan M. Denny bought 1,506 shares of Valvoline stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 12th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $33.20 per share, with a total value of $49,999.20. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief accounting officer owned 4,121 shares of the company's stock, valued at $136,817.20. This represents a 57.59% increase in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Corporate insiders own 0.66% of the company's stock.

Valvoline Stock Up 0.4%

VVV stock traded up $0.12 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $30.27. 810,130 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,168,033. 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's 50 day moving average price is $32.84 and its 200 day moving average price is $34.51. The stock has a market cap of $3.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.81 and a beta of 0.99. Valvoline has a fifty-two week low of $26.21 and a fifty-two week high of $41.08.

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

Valvoline announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock repurchase plan on Tuesday, September 29th that allows the company to buyback $175.00 million in shares. This buyback authorization allows the basic materials company to purchase up to 4.8% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are often an indication that the company's board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

About Valvoline

Valvoline Inc NYSE: VVV is an automotive services company that operates and franchises quick-lube service centers. Its locations provide routine vehicle maintenance, including oil changes, fluid services, filter replacement, battery replacement, windshield wiper replacement and tire services. The company's service model is designed to allow customers to receive maintenance without a scheduled appointment or leaving their vehicle.

Valvoline serves customers primarily in the United States and Canada through company-operated and franchised service centers under the Valvoline Instant Oil Change and related brands.

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