699,727 Shares in Valvoline $VVV Purchased by William Blair Investment Management LLC

Key Points

• William Blair Investment Management disclosed a new fourth-quarter stake in Valvoline, buying 699,727 shares worth about $20.3 million. The position represented 0.55% of the company.
• Valvoline insiders were also buying: CFO J. Kevin Willis purchased 10,000 shares, and Director Jennifer Lynn Slater bought 1,000 shares. Insiders bought a total of 14,100 shares over the last quarter.
• The company reported strong quarterly results, with EPS of $0.41 beating estimates and revenue rising 25% year over year to $503.8 million. Analysts currently rate the stock Moderate Buy with an average target price of $41.36.

William Blair Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Valvoline (NYSE:VVV - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor acquired 699,727 shares of the basic materials company's stock, valued at approximately $20,334,000. William Blair Investment Management LLC owned 0.55% of Valvoline as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Global Retirement Partners LLC lifted its position in Valvoline by 3,914.9% during the fourth quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 2,971 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $86,000 after purchasing an additional 2,897 shares during the period. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. lifted its position in Valvoline by 8.0% during the fourth quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 29,718 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $864,000 after purchasing an additional 2,191 shares during the period. AlphaCore Capital LLC bought a new stake in Valvoline during the fourth quarter worth about $296,000. Leeward Investments LLC MA lifted its position in Valvoline by 11.9% during the fourth quarter. Leeward Investments LLC MA now owns 593,914 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $17,259,000 after purchasing an additional 63,353 shares during the period. Finally, Wesbanco Bank Inc. raised its stake in Valvoline by 73.8% during the fourth quarter. Wesbanco Bank Inc. now owns 70,651 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $2,053,000 after acquiring an additional 30,000 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 96.13% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Jennifer Lynn Slater acquired 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 15th. The stock was bought at an average price of $32.53 per share, with a total value of $32,530.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director directly owned 1,000 shares of the company's stock, valued at $32,530. This represents a ∞ increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CFO J Kevin Willis acquired 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 14th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $31.80 per share, with a total value of $318,000.00. Following the purchase, the chief financial officer directly owned 32,725 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,040,655. This trade represents a 44.00% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Insiders bought 14,100 shares of company stock valued at $450,877 over the last quarter. 0.66% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Valvoline Stock Performance

Valvoline stock opened at $33.56 on Tuesday. The business has a 50 day moving average of $33.53 and a 200-day moving average of $33.15. Valvoline has a 1 year low of $28.50 and a 1 year high of $41.33. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.61, a current ratio of 0.73 and a quick ratio of 0.61. The company has a market capitalization of $4.28 billion, a P/E ratio of 45.97 and a beta of 1.03.

Valvoline (NYSE:VVV - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 7th. The basic materials company reported $0.41 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.35 by $0.06. Valvoline had a return on equity of 66.54% and a net margin of 5.03%.The company had revenue of $503.80 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $495.67 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.34 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was up 25.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Valvoline has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.650-1.750 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that Valvoline will post 1.74 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have commented on the company. Wall Street Zen raised Valvoline from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, February 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. downgraded Valvoline from a "neutral" rating to an "underweight" rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $30.00 to $35.00 in a research note on Thursday, February 12th. Weiss Ratings raised Valvoline from a "sell (d+)" rating to a "hold (c-)" rating in a research note on Monday, March 2nd. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their target price on Valvoline from $46.00 to $47.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, May 8th. Finally, Citigroup boosted their target price on Valvoline from $34.00 to $37.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $41.36.

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).

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