Valvoline $VVV Position Lifted by Hawk Ridge Capital Management LP

Hawk Ridge Capital Management LP boosted its stake in shares of Valvoline (NYSE:VVV) by 15.0% in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 3,147,810 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after buying an additional 409,565 shares during the quarter. Valvoline makes up 3.9% of Hawk Ridge Capital Management LP’s portfolio, making the stock its 9th largest position. Hawk Ridge Capital Management LP’s holdings in Valvoline were worth $106,018,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in VVV. Measured Wealth Private Client Group LLC bought a new position in Valvoline in the 1st quarter worth about $28,000. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd increased its position 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 acquiring an additional 989 shares during the period. Cedar Mountain Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Valvoline during the first quarter valued at approximately $42,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake 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 valued at $55,000 after acquiring an additional 691 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Quarry LP purchased a new stake in shares of Valvoline in the third quarter valued at approximately $60,000. 96.13% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CFO J Kevin Willis purchased 10,000 shares of the business’s 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 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 legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Richard Joseph Freeland purchased 3,100 shares of Valvoline stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 14th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $32.37 per share, with a total value of $100,347.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 16,112 shares in the company, valued at approximately $521,545.44. This represents a 23.82% increase in their position. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have purchased 14,100 shares of company stock worth $450,877 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 0.66% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

VVV has been the topic of several research analyst reports. New Street Research set a $47.00 price objective on Valvoline in a research note on Monday, July 20th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on Valvoline from $42.00 to $45.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 21st. Barclays upped their target price on Valvoline from $35.00 to $41.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 21st. TD Cowen increased their price target on Valvoline from $42.00 to $47.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, July 20th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price target on Valvoline from $46.00 to $47.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, May 8th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Valvoline presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $42.50.

Valvoline Price Performance

Shares of VVV opened at $39.50 on Tuesday. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $37.29 and a 200-day moving average price of $35.40. Valvoline has a fifty-two week low of $28.50 and a fifty-two week high of $41.33. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.04 billion, a PE ratio of 54.11 and a beta of 0.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.61, a quick ratio of 0.61 and a current ratio of 0.73.

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