Valvoline $VVV Stock Sold by Cooke & Bieler LP

Cooke & Bieler LP cut its holdings in Valvoline (NYSE:VVV) by 9.1% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 3,156,308 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 316,757 shares during the quarter. Valvoline comprises 1.4% of Cooke & Bieler LP’s portfolio, making the stock its 27th largest position. Cooke & Bieler LP’s holdings in Valvoline were worth $95,131,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of VVV. Legacy Wealth Asset Management LLC raised its position in shares of Valvoline by 16.5% during the 3rd quarter. Legacy Wealth Asset Management LLC now owns 8,764 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $264,000 after acquiring an additional 1,240 shares during the last quarter. Diversified Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Valvoline in the 3rd quarter valued at $2,331,000. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its position in shares of Valvoline by 98.0% in the 3rd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,841 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $86,000 after purchasing an additional 1,406 shares during the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Valvoline by 48.0% in the 3rd quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 3,680 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $111,000 after purchasing an additional 1,193 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Elevation Wealth Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Valvoline in the 3rd quarter worth $34,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.13% of the company’s stock.

Valvoline Stock Down 1.1%

Valvoline stock opened at $31.12 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.49 and a beta of 1.03. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $30.88 and its 200 day simple moving average is $34.20. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.77, a current ratio of 0.70 and a quick ratio of 0.58. Valvoline has a fifty-two week low of $26.21 and a fifty-two week high of $41.08.

Valvoline (NYSE:VVV) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 5th. The basic materials company reported $0.57 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.50 by $0.07. Valvoline had a net margin of 5.17% and a return on equity of 65.12%. The firm had revenue of $544.60 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $543.21 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.47 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 24.1% on a year-over-year basis. Valvoline has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.700-1.750 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Valvoline will post 1.76 EPS for the current year.

Valvoline announced that its Board of Directors has approved a stock buyback program on Tuesday, September 29th that allows the company to buy back $175.00 million in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the basic materials company to repurchase up to 4.8% of its stock through open market purchases. Share buyback programs are often an indication that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on the company. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Valvoline in a research note on Thursday, October 1st. Benchmark started coverage on Valvoline in a report on Wednesday, August 19th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $48.00 price objective for the company. New Street Research set a $34.00 target price on Valvoline in a research note on Thursday, October 1st. TD Cowen reduced their target price on Valvoline from $45.00 to $40.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, October 14th. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded Valvoline from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a report on Thursday, August 6th. Thirteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have given 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 an average target price of $41.44.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Julie O’Daniel sold 3,700 shares of Valvoline stock in a transaction on Friday, August 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $33.81, for a total transaction of $125,097.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 14,279 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $482,772.99. This trade represents a 20.58% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CAO Jordan Denny purchased 1,506 shares of Valvoline stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 12th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $33.20 per share, for a total transaction of $49,999.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 4,121 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $136,817.20. This represents a 57.59% increase in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Company insiders own 0.66% of the company’s stock.

About Valvoline

Valvoline Inc (NYSE: VVV) is an automotive maintenance services company that operates and franchises Valvoline Instant Oil Change service centers. Its locations provide preventive vehicle maintenance designed to help drivers keep their cars operating reliably and extend the useful life of key components.

The company’s services include oil changes, fluid replacement and top-offs, battery testing and replacement, air-conditioning services, tire rotation, tire services, and replacement of filters, wiper blades, and other routine maintenance items.