VELA Investment Management LLC Sells 83,972 Shares of Valvoline $VVV

Key Points

• VELA Investment Management LLC cut its Valvoline stake by 38.6%, selling 83,972 shares and now holds 133,756 shares worth about $3.89 million.
• Valvoline beat quarterly EPS estimates ($0.37 vs. $0.34) with revenue up 11.5% year‑over‑year but slightly below consensus, and set FY2026 guidance of 1.600–1.700 EPS (analysts expect ~1.7).
• Analysts have a consensus "Moderate Buy" rating with an average price target of $40.40 versus the recent share price near $32.63, while the stock shows a P/E of 48.7 and a debt/equity ratio of 5.31.

VELA Investment Management LLC decreased its position in Valvoline (NYSE:VVV - Free Report) by 38.6% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 133,756 shares of the basic materials company's stock after selling 83,972 shares during the quarter. VELA Investment Management LLC owned 0.11% of Valvoline worth $3,887,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in VVV. Royal Bank of Canada increased its stake in Valvoline by 298.5% in the 1st quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 253,447 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $8,822,000 after acquiring an additional 189,842 shares during the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. increased its stake in Valvoline by 4.6% in the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 858,584 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $29,887,000 after acquiring an additional 37,657 shares during the last quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC increased its stake in Valvoline by 4.5% in the 1st 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 worth $16,974,000 after acquiring an additional 20,947 shares during the last quarter. Jane Street Group LLC increased its stake in Valvoline by 15.7% in the 1st quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 124,071 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $4,319,000 after acquiring an additional 16,865 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Creative Planning increased its stake in Valvoline by 40.1% in the 2nd quarter. Creative Planning now owns 8,225 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $311,000 after acquiring an additional 2,353 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 96.13% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Valvoline

In other news, insider Julie Marie O'daniel sold 4,312 shares of Valvoline stock in a transaction on Friday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $38.55, for a total transaction of $166,227.60. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 17,979 shares in the company, valued at approximately $693,090.45. This trade represents a 19.34% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Company insiders own 0.66% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on VVV shares. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $43.00 target price on shares of Valvoline in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on Valvoline from $38.00 to $40.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, February 5th. Roth Mkm reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $44.00 target price on shares of Valvoline in a report on Thursday, February 5th. TD Cowen reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of Valvoline in a report on Monday, January 26th. Finally, Citigroup lifted their target price on Valvoline from $34.00 to $37.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, February 5th. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $40.40.

Valvoline Stock Down 1.8%

NYSE:VVV opened at $32.63 on Friday. Valvoline has a twelve month low of $28.50 and a twelve month high of $41.33. The company has a market cap of $4.15 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 48.71 and a beta of 1.03. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $34.56 and a 200-day simple moving average of $33.20. The company has a current ratio of 0.70, a quick ratio of 0.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.31.

Valvoline (NYSE:VVV - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The basic materials company reported $0.37 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.34 by $0.03. Valvoline had a return on equity of 69.71% and a net margin of 4.91%.The business had revenue of $461.80 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $466.87 million. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.32 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 11.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Valvoline has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.600-1.700 EPS. Analysts anticipate that Valvoline will post 1.7 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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