William Blair Investment Management LLC Takes $20.33 Million Position in Valvoline $VVV

William Blair Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Valvoline (NYSE:VVV) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 699,727 shares of the basic materials company’s stock, valued at approximately $20,334,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Global Retirement Partners LLC increased its position in Valvoline by 3,914.9% during the 4th quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 2,971 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $86,000 after purchasing an additional 2,897 shares during the period. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. increased its position in Valvoline by 8.0% during the 4th quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 29,718 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $864,000 after purchasing an additional 2,191 shares during the period. AlphaCore Capital LLC acquired a new stake in Valvoline during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $296,000. Leeward Investments LLC MA increased its position in Valvoline by 11.9% during the 4th quarter. Leeward Investments LLC MA now owns 593,914 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $17,259,000 after purchasing an additional 63,353 shares during the period. Finally, Wesbanco Bank Inc. increased its position in Valvoline by 73.8% during the 4th quarter. Wesbanco Bank Inc. now owns 70,651 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $2,053,000 after purchasing an additional 30,000 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.13% of the company’s stock.

Valvoline Stock Performance

Shares of VVV stock opened at $33.56 on Tuesday. The company has a market cap of $4.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 45.97 and a beta of 1.03. Valvoline has a 52 week low of $28.50 and a 52 week 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 firm has a 50 day moving average of $33.53 and a 200-day moving average of $33.15.

Valvoline (NYSE:VVV) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 7th. The basic materials company reported $0.41 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.35 by $0.06. The company had revenue of $503.80 million during 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 quarter last year, the firm posted $0.34 EPS. Valvoline has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.650-1.750 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that Valvoline will post 1.74 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Valvoline

In related news, Director Richard Joseph Freeland acquired 3,100 shares of Valvoline stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 14th. The stock was bought at an average price of $32.37 per share, with a total value of $100,347.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 16,112 shares in the company, valued at $521,545.44. This represents a 23.82% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Jennifer Lynn Slater bought 1,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 15th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $32.53 per share, for a total transaction of $32,530.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director owned 1,000 shares in the company, valued at $32,530. This represents a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders purchased a total of 14,100 shares of company stock valued at $450,877 in the last quarter. 0.66% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have weighed in on the stock. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Valvoline from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research report on Monday, March 2nd. Mizuho set a $40.00 target price on shares of Valvoline in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. Stephens increased their target price on shares of Valvoline from $38.00 to $44.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their target price on shares of Valvoline from $46.00 to $47.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, May 8th. Finally, Truist Financial set a $38.00 target price on shares of Valvoline in a research report on Monday, January 26th. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $41.36.

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).