Royce & Associates LP Purchases 431,687 Shares of Valvoline $VVV

Key Points

• Royce & Associates LP boosted its Valvoline stake by 33.2% in the fourth quarter, buying 431,687 shares to bring its total holding to 1.73 million shares worth about $50.4 million.
• Several other institutional investors also increased their positions, and institutional ownership stands at 96.13% of Valvoline’s stock.
• Valvoline reported better-than-expected quarterly results with EPS of $0.41 on revenue of $503.8 million, while analysts currently rate the stock a Moderate Buy with a consensus price target of $41.36.

Royce & Associates LP increased its position in Valvoline (NYSE:VVV - Free Report) by 33.2% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 1,733,739 shares of the basic materials company's stock after purchasing an additional 431,687 shares during the period. Royce & Associates LP owned approximately 1.36% of Valvoline worth $50,382,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Royal Bank of Canada boosted its holdings in shares of Valvoline by 298.5% during the 1st quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 253,447 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $8,822,000 after acquiring an additional 189,842 shares during the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Valvoline by 4.6% during the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 858,584 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $29,887,000 after purchasing an additional 37,657 shares during the last quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC raised its holdings in shares of Valvoline by 4.5% during the first quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 487,609 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $16,974,000 after purchasing an additional 20,947 shares during the last quarter. Jane Street Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of Valvoline by 15.7% during the first quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 124,071 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $4,319,000 after purchasing an additional 16,865 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Creative Planning raised its holdings in shares of Valvoline by 40.1% during the second quarter. Creative Planning now owns 8,225 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $311,000 after purchasing an additional 2,353 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 96.13% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

VVV has been the subject of several research reports. Citigroup boosted their price objective on shares of Valvoline from $34.00 to $37.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, February 5th. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a "buy" rating and set a $45.00 price objective on shares of Valvoline in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Valvoline from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, February 7th. Piper Sandler reissued an "overweight" rating and set a $44.00 price objective (up from $41.00) on shares of Valvoline in a report on Friday, May 8th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut shares of Valvoline from a "neutral" rating to an "underweight" rating and boosted their price objective for the company from $30.00 to $35.00 in a report on Thursday, February 12th. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Valvoline presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $41.36.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CFO J Kevin Willis bought 10,000 shares of Valvoline stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 14th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $31.80 per share, with a total value of $318,000.00. Following the acquisition, the chief financial officer owned 32,725 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,040,655. The trade was a 44.00% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Jennifer Lynn Slater bought 1,000 shares of Valvoline stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 acquisition, the director directly owned 1,000 shares in the company, valued at $32,530. This represents a ∞ increase in their position. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. In the last ninety days, insiders bought 14,100 shares of company stock valued at $450,877. 0.66% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Valvoline Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:VVV opened at $33.56 on Tuesday. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $33.53 and its 200-day moving average price is $33.15. Valvoline has a twelve month low of $28.50 and a twelve month 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 stock has a market capitalization of $4.28 billion, a PE ratio of 45.97 and a beta of 1.03.

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, topping the consensus estimate of $0.35 by $0.06. Valvoline had a net margin of 5.03% and a return on equity of 66.54%. The firm had revenue of $503.80 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $495.67 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.34 EPS. The business's quarterly 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 research analysts expect that Valvoline will post 1.74 EPS 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).

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