We recently compiled a list of the 10 Best Car Repair Stocks to Buy Now.In this article, we are going to take a look at where Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV) stands against the other car repair stocks.
Price Wars in the Automotive Space
Every consumer in the market today has numerous options when it comes to cars. With the rise of electric and hybrid vehicles, this variety has only grown exponentially, resulting in many automotive sector players feeling the need to compete with each other on pricing alongside other things. Price competition has always been an indicator of a healthy market environment, as it offers the everyday consumer the ability to make an informed decision about the product that they want to buy, so this may not necessarily be a bad development. However, considering the fact that the automotive sector has been facing headwinds in the form of lower demand, particularly in light of higher inflation over the past couple of years, this additional burden of having to compete on pricing to attract more customers can result in many automotive providers facing losses.
According to Bill Russo, the founder and CEO of Automobility Limited, the price wars have penetrated the EV space with great zeal, particularly because EVs are among the priciest vehicles in the market today. Russo has stated that the weakness in demand for vehicles that we're seeing so far in 2024 has the potential to plague the industry going forward and will continue to put pressure on pricing. With this backdrop, many investors may be wondering where to go with their money if they want to invest in the automotive space. The answer to that question is quite simple - automotive repair.
Where to Invest in the Automotive Space?
As new cars become too expensive to consider buying, your typical consumer is likely to head toward used cars, which typically require more repair and maintenance than a brand-new vehicle. Because of this trend, automotive companies that are dabbling in dealing with and repairing used vehicles may be poised to become new automotive stock investor favorites. According to Carvana CEO Ernie Garcia's interview on CNBC's "Power Lunch" this June, the used car market is reasonably stable this year, and used car prices are also down at present, which can be an added incentive for consumers to gravitate towards used vehicles.
Another exciting space within automotive is China, which has been rapidly growing its presence within the automotive industry with cheaper and more efficient vehicles. Going back to our discussion on price wars, we see that Chinese automakers are actually doing surprisingly well in providing low-cost EVs especially, which has led to experts such as Michael Dunne, founder and CEO of Dunne Insights, dubbing China the "world's center of automotive manufacturing," in an August interview with CNBC's "Squawk Box Asia." Dunne noted that China can produce cars more cheaply than anyone else in the world and that it has built more EVs than every other player, which has enabled it to export cars to more than 100 markets worldwide.
Considering this rapid growth, investors looking to pick up some automotive players could do well by considering companies that have longstanding partnerships with Chinese manufacturers, or by directly picking up Chinese car makers for their portfolio. The list we've compiled below has several companies that fit the first of these descriptions, alongside several other automotive players in the repair space.
Our Methodology
We used a stock screener to identify stocks in the automotive parts and repair businesses. We then shortlisted the stocks based on the number of hedge funds holding stakes in them, from the lowest to the highest number, by using Insider Monkey's hedge fund data for the second quarter.
Why are we interested in the stocks that hedge funds pile into? The reason is simple: our research has shown that we can outperform the market by imitating the top stock picks of the best hedge funds. Our quarterly newsletter’s strategy selects 14 small-cap and large-cap stocks every quarter and has returned 275% since May 2014, beating its benchmark by 150 percentage points. (see more details here).
A close-up of a metal oil pump in an oil refinery, a key part of the company's production.
Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV) operates and franchises vehicle service centers and retail stores. It provides fluid exchange for motor oil, transmission, and differential fluid, coolants, parts replacements for batteries, filters, wiper blades, belts, and more through its service centers.
One of the key reasons why Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV) saw increased same-store sales growth across the board in the fiscal third quarter of 2024 was that it offers a comprehensive service offering to its customers. Non-oil-change service penetration was the largest contributor to same-store sales growth for the company this quarter, which stood at 6.5%.
Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV) also reaped the benefits of its strategy of accelerating network growth this quarter. The company added 33 stores to its network of service providers, bringing its total network to 1,961 stores - this represents a growth of 8.7% year-over-year. Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV) has also recently closed a transaction to re-franchise 17 stores in Las Vegas, a deal which is capital-efficient and is expected to help fuel growth with a longstanding franchise partner.
Through its growth strategies, Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV) managed to bring in net sales of $421 million, which highlights a 12% increase year-over-year. Another major contributor to the company's growth this quarter was its focus on data and ad-driven marketing, which enables Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV) to attract the right customer at the right time in the most cost-effective manner. All in all, the company has been doing incredibly well, resulting in increased investor attention.
Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV) was seen in the portfolios of 30 hedge funds in the second quarter, with a total stake value of $671.3 million. Alua Capital Management was the most prominent shareholder, holding 3,161,133 shares.
Overall VVV ranks 9th on our list of the best car repair stocks to buy. While we acknowledge the potential of VVV as an investment, we believe that AI stocks hold promise for delivering high returns and doing so within a shorter timeframe. If you are looking for an AI stock that is more promising than VVV but that trades at less than 5 times its earnings, check out our report about the cheapest AI stock.
