Clearbridge Investments LLC Cuts Stock Holdings in Valvoline $VVV

Clearbridge Investments LLC reduced its position in shares of Valvoline (NYSE:VVV) by 2.3% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 760,949 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 17,671 shares during the period. Clearbridge Investments LLC’s holdings in Valvoline were worth $22,113,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Community Bank N.A. purchased a new position in Valvoline during the third quarter worth about $27,000. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd raised its holdings in 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 purchasing an additional 989 shares in the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its holdings in 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 purchasing an additional 691 shares in the last quarter. Clearstead Advisors LLC raised its holdings in 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 purchasing an additional 1,336 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Quarry LP purchased a new position in Valvoline during the third quarter worth about $60,000. 96.13% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

VVV has been the subject of several analyst reports. Piper Sandler reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $44.00 price target (up from $41.00) on shares of Valvoline in a report on Friday, May 8th. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price target on shares of Valvoline from $42.00 to $44.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, May 11th. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “buy” rating and set a $45.00 price target on shares of Valvoline in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Valvoline in a report on Friday, May 29th. Finally, Barclays assumed coverage on shares of Valvoline in a report on Thursday, May 28th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $35.00 target price for the company. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $40.93.

Insider Buying and Selling at Valvoline

In other Valvoline news, Director Richard Joseph Freeland purchased 3,100 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 14th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $32.37 per share, for a total transaction of $100,347.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 16,112 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $521,545.44. This trade represents a 23.82% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CFO J Kevin Willis purchased 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 14th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $31.80 per share, for a total transaction of $318,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 32,725 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,040,655. The trade was a 44.00% increase in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last three months, insiders purchased 14,100 shares of company stock valued at $450,877. Corporate insiders own 0.66% of the company’s stock.

Valvoline Trading Up 2.6%

Shares of Valvoline stock opened at $37.13 on Wednesday. Valvoline has a 12-month low of $28.50 and a 12-month high of $41.33. The company has a current ratio of 0.73, a quick ratio of 0.61 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.61. The stock has a market cap of $4.74 billion, a PE ratio of 50.86 and a beta of 1.02. The company has a 50-day moving average of $33.75 and a two-hundred day moving average of $33.41.

Valvoline (NYSE:VVV) last issued its earnings results 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. Valvoline had a net margin of 5.03% and a return on equity of 66.54%. The company had revenue of $503.80 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $495.67 million. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.34 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 25.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Valvoline has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.650-1.750 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that Valvoline will post 1.75 EPS 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).