Clearline Capital LP Takes $2.22 Million Position in Valvoline $VVV

Key Points

• Clearline Capital LP disclosed a new fourth-quarter position in Valvoline, buying 76,432 shares valued at about $2.22 million.
• Insider buying was notable, with directors Richard Joseph Freeland and Jennifer Lynn Slater purchasing shares in May; insiders bought 14,100 shares worth $450,877 over the last 90 days.
• Valvoline beat earnings expectations in its latest quarter, reporting $0.41 EPS versus $0.35 expected, while revenue rose 25% year over year to $503.8 million; analysts currently have a Moderate Buy consensus and an average target price of $40.93.

Clearline Capital LP acquired a new position in shares of Valvoline (NYSE:VVV - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 76,432 shares of the basic materials company's stock, valued at approximately $2,221,000. Clearline Capital LP owned approximately 0.06% of Valvoline as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Aristotle Capital Boston LLC lifted its position in Valvoline by 3.5% during the fourth quarter. Aristotle Capital Boston LLC now owns 628,205 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $18,256,000 after buying an additional 21,487 shares in the last quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. lifted its position in Valvoline by 187.8% during the fourth quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. now owns 1,039,498 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $30,208,000 after buying an additional 678,304 shares in the last quarter. Boothbay Fund Management LLC lifted its position in Valvoline by 43.2% during the fourth quarter. Boothbay Fund Management LLC now owns 108,379 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $3,149,000 after buying an additional 32,710 shares in the last quarter. Hawk Ridge Capital Management LP lifted its position in Valvoline by 142.0% during the fourth quarter. Hawk Ridge Capital Management LP now owns 2,738,245 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $79,573,000 after buying an additional 1,606,810 shares in the last quarter. Finally, MAC Alpha Capital Management LP purchased a new position in Valvoline during the fourth quarter worth approximately $3,593,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.13% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Richard Joseph Freeland acquired 3,100 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 14th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $32.37 per share, with a total value of $100,347.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director owned 16,112 shares of the company's stock, valued at $521,545.44. This represents a 23.82% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Jennifer Lynn Slater acquired 1,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 15th. The stock was purchased at an average cost 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 approximately $32,530. This represents a ∞ increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Over the last ninety days, insiders bought 14,100 shares of company stock valued at $450,877. 0.66% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Valvoline Price Performance

NYSE:VVV opened at $37.49 on Thursday. Valvoline has a 52 week low of $28.50 and a 52 week high of $41.33. The company has a quick ratio of 0.61, a current ratio of 0.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.61. The company has a market capitalization of $4.78 billion, a P/E ratio of 51.35 and a beta of 1.02. The stock's fifty day moving average is $34.23 and its two-hundred day moving average is $33.68.

Valvoline (NYSE:VVV - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 7th. The basic materials company reported $0.41 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.35 by $0.06. Valvoline had a return on equity of 66.54% and a net margin of 5.03%.The business had revenue of $503.80 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $495.67 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.34 earnings per share. The company's revenue was up 25.0% on a year-over-year basis. Valvoline has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.650-1.750 EPS. Equities analysts expect that Valvoline will post 1.75 EPS for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the company. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price objective on Valvoline from $42.00 to $44.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, May 11th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "hold (c-)" rating on shares of Valvoline in a research report on Friday, May 29th. Barclays assumed coverage on Valvoline in a research report on Thursday, May 28th. They issued an "equal weight" rating and a $35.00 target price on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on Valvoline from $40.00 to $42.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, May 8th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded Valvoline from an "underweight" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $35.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Friday, May 29th. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Valvoline currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $40.93.

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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