CluenexValvoline VVV
Valvoline scores average on business quality (4.9 of 10). Here is why, in plain words, and what our sealed record shows.
Why it matters
- What Valvoline does
Valvoline operates preventive automotive maintenance services, generating revenue through quick-lube service centers where everyday drivers pay for oil changes and fluid replacements. The business is scaling its service footprint to capture higher transaction volumes across its expanding store network.
- What it does best
Valvoline excels in quick-turnaround preventive automotive services, achieving a gross margin of 38.3% that outpaces peers like MUSA at 12.2%. This advantage is anchored by a specialized service model and brand recognition that drive repeat visits.
- The main risk
Citigroup lowered its price target to $34 amid margin pressures, threatening profitability if operational costs outpace service price increases across the retail network.
Quality, check by check
Scored against its own industry, from company filings.
Operating margin stands at 15.6% with an ROE of 28.7%, expanding as store density increases and driving stronger returns on equity with scale.
A consumer service moat locks in everyday drivers, backed by a gross margin in the top quartile of its sector at 78th percentile rank, insulating it from local copycats.
Revenue grew 5.6% to reach $1.9 billion, supported by ongoing unit expansion while maintaining a steady trajectory compared to historical periods.
Debt-to-equity sits at 3.9 against $52 million in cash and $1.3 billion in total debt, with free cash flow at $135 million: getting softer under heavy obligations.
Insiders
Executives and directors, from SEC Form 4 filings we read ourselves. Open market trades only; grants, option exercises and pre-planned sales left out.
1 insider bought $50K on the open market. 1 sold $125K outside pre-planned sales.
Our sealed record on VVV
Verdicts appear here 30 days after we publish them; members see today's. Each one is in the nightly ledger, fingerprinted the night it was made.
The first sealed verdicts appear here on Oct 11, 2026.
Questions
Valvoline scores average on the Cluenex quality check (4.9 of 10), measured against its own industry. Profitability is fair, moat fair, growth steady and financial health weak.
In the last 90 days of SEC Form 4 filings: 1 insider bought $50K on the open market. 1 sold $125K outside pre-planned sales.
Nov 4, 2026, after the close.
See VVV today
- Today's verdict on VVV, and why
- Fair value with cautious, base and optimistic cases
- The exact price that would change the verdict
- Which stocks each signal names, the night it fires
Cite this page: Cluenex, “Valvoline (VVV)”, https://cluenex.com/stocks/vvv/, data as of Oct 10, 2026.