Valvoline (NYSE:VVV) Raised to "Buy" at Stifel Nicolaus

Key Points

• Stifel Nicolaus upgraded Valvoline to a "buy", assigning a $42 price target that implies about a 28.2% upside from the current share price.
• Valvoline beat Q results with EPS of $0.37 vs. $0.34 expected and revenue of $461.8M (up 11.5% YoY), and issued FY2026 guidance of $1.600–1.700 EPS (analysts forecast ~1.63).
• Analyst sentiment is broadly positive with 12 Buys, 5 Holds and 1 Sell, a consensus "Moderate Buy" rating and an average price target of $40.38.

Valvoline (NYSE:VVV - Get Free Report) was upgraded by analysts at Stifel Nicolaus from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note issued to investors on Monday, Marketbeat reports. The firm currently has a $42.00 target price on the basic materials company's stock. Stifel Nicolaus' price target would suggest a potential upside of 28.22% from the company's current price.

A number of other equities research analysts have also recently weighed in on the stock. TD Cowen restated a "buy" rating on shares of Valvoline in a research note on Monday, January 26th. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a "buy" rating and set a $43.00 price target on shares of Valvoline in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th. Roth Mkm reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $44.00 price target on shares of Valvoline in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut shares of Valvoline from a "neutral" rating to an "underweight" rating and increased their price objective for the company from $30.00 to $35.00 in a report on Thursday, February 12th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada raised their price objective on shares of Valvoline from $44.00 to $46.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. Twelve investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $40.38.

Valvoline Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:VVV opened at $32.76 on Monday. The firm's 50 day moving average is $35.17 and its two-hundred day moving average is $33.97. Valvoline has a 52 week low of $28.50 and a 52 week high of $41.33. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.17 billion, a P/E ratio of 48.89 and a beta of 1.16. 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 issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 4th. The basic materials company reported $0.37 earnings per share (EPS) 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 in the previous year, the firm posted $0.32 earnings per share. The business's revenue was up 11.5% on a year-over-year basis. Valvoline has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.600-1.700 EPS. Analysts anticipate that Valvoline will post 1.63 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Julie Marie O'daniel sold 4,312 shares of Valvoline stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $38.55, for a total value of $166,227.60. Following the transaction, the insider owned 17,979 shares of the company's stock, valued at $693,090.45. The trade was a 19.34% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 0.66% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Valvoline

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Coldstream Capital Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Valvoline by 3.7% in the second quarter. Coldstream Capital Management Inc. now owns 7,419 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $281,000 after buying an additional 262 shares in the last quarter. Alpine Woods Capital Investors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Valvoline by 2.5% in the 4th quarter. Alpine Woods Capital Investors LLC now owns 10,866 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $316,000 after acquiring an additional 267 shares during the last quarter. Orion Porfolio Solutions LLC raised its position in shares of Valvoline by 1.0% during the second quarter. Orion Porfolio Solutions LLC now owns 28,510 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $1,080,000 after purchasing an additional 277 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Valvoline by 14.9% during the third quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,348 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $84,000 after purchasing an additional 304 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Quadrant Capital Group LLC boosted its position in shares of Valvoline by 4.2% in the 4th quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 7,912 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $230,000 after purchasing an additional 319 shares during the period. 96.13% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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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