Valvoline $VVV Shares Bought by BNP Paribas Financial Markets

Key Points

• BNP Paribas Financial Markets increased its Valvoline stake by 80% in the fourth quarter, ending with 353,362 shares worth about $10.3 million.
• Valvoline has seen strong analyst support, with 11 Buy ratings and 6 Hold ratings; the consensus view is a Moderate Buy and the average price target is $40.93.
• The company reported better-than-expected quarterly results, posting EPS of $0.41 versus estimates of $0.35 and revenue of $503.8 million, while also noting insider purchases by its director and CFO.

BNP Paribas Financial Markets boosted its stake in shares of Valvoline (NYSE:VVV - Free Report) by 80.0% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 353,362 shares of the basic materials company's stock after acquiring an additional 157,023 shares during the period. BNP Paribas Financial Markets owned about 0.28% of Valvoline worth $10,269,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Community Bank N.A. purchased a new stake in shares of Valvoline during the third quarter worth $27,000. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd grew its holdings in shares of Valvoline by 1,621.3% during the third quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 1,050 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $38,000 after buying an additional 989 shares in the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Valvoline by 90.1% during the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,458 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $55,000 after buying an additional 691 shares in the last quarter. Quarry LP purchased a new stake in shares of Valvoline during the third quarter worth $60,000. Finally, Clearstead Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Valvoline by 228.4% during the fourth quarter. Clearstead Advisors LLC now owns 1,921 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $56,000 after buying an additional 1,336 shares in the last quarter. 96.13% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

VVV has been the subject of a number of research reports. TD Cowen reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Valvoline in a report on Thursday. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of Valvoline from $40.00 to $42.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, May 8th. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their target price on shares of Valvoline from $46.00 to $47.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, May 8th. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price objective on shares of Valvoline from $42.00 to $44.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, May 11th. Finally, Roth Mkm reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $46.00 price objective on shares of Valvoline in a report on Friday, May 8th. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $40.93.

Insider Buying and Selling at Valvoline

In related news, Director Jennifer Lynn Slater purchased 1,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, May 15th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $32.53 per share, for a total transaction of $32,530.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 1,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $32,530. The trade was a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CFO J Kevin Willis purchased 10,000 shares of Valvoline stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 14th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $31.80 per share, for a total transaction of $318,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 32,725 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,040,655. This represents a 44.00% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Insiders purchased a total of 14,100 shares of company stock worth $450,877 over the last three months. Insiders own 0.66% of the company's stock.

Valvoline Trading Up 1.5%

Shares of VVV stock opened at $36.27 on Tuesday. Valvoline has a 1-year low of $28.50 and a 1-year high of $41.33. The firm has a market cap of $4.63 billion, a PE ratio of 49.69 and a beta of 1.02. The company has a 50-day moving average of $33.68 and a two-hundred day moving average of $33.36. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.61, a current ratio of 0.73 and a quick ratio of 0.61.

Valvoline (NYSE:VVV - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results 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 net margin of 5.03% and a return on equity of 66.54%. The business had revenue of $503.80 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $495.67 million. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.34 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 25.0% on a year-over-year basis. Valvoline has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.650-1.750 EPS. On average, analysts predict that Valvoline will post 1.75 EPS for the current year.

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).

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