Weiss Asset Management LP purchased a new position in Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO – Free Report) during the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm purchased 105,816 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock, valued at approximately $26,145,000.
Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of VLO. Cypress Capital Group boosted its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 11.7% during the 1st quarter. Cypress Capital Group now owns 20,983 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $5,184,000 after acquiring an additional 2,190 shares in the last quarter. OMERS ADMINISTRATION Corp raised its position in shares of Valero Energy by 16.8% during the first quarter. OMERS ADMINISTRATION Corp now owns 27,765 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $6,860,000 after purchasing an additional 3,991 shares during the period. Lombard Odier Asset Management Switzerland SA acquired a new stake in shares of Valero Energy during the first quarter worth $889,000. Waverly Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 36.1% during the first quarter. Waverly Advisors LLC now owns 16,899 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $4,175,000 after purchasing an additional 4,480 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cumberland Partners Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Valero Energy during the first quarter valued at $1,137,000. Institutional investors own 78.69% of the company’s stock.
Wall Street Analyst Weigh In
A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on VLO shares. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on Valero Energy from $220.00 to $292.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 31st. TD Cowen upped their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $292.00 to $338.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 21st. Scotiabank raised their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $178.00 to $226.00 and gave the stock a “sector outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Mizuho lifted their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $222.00 to $289.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 27th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of Valero Energy from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, April 4th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Valero Energy has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $266.71.
Valero Energy Stock Performance
Shares of Valero Energy stock opened at $302.48 on Friday. Valero Energy Corporation has a 12 month low of $130.78 and a 12 month high of $320.24. The company has a quick ratio of 1.15, a current ratio of 1.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39. The stock has a market cap of $89.81 billion, a PE ratio of 21.98, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.20 and a beta of 0.55. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $265.22 and a 200-day simple moving average of $234.39.
Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO – Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The oil and gas company reported $4.22 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.16 by $1.06. The firm had revenue of $32.38 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $31.38 billion. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 15.94% and a net margin of 3.37%.Valero Energy’s quarterly revenue was up 7.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.89 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Valero Energy Corporation will post 36.46 EPS for the current fiscal year.
Valero Energy Dividend Announcement
The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 31st will be paid a dividend of $1.20 per share. This represents a $4.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, July 31st. Valero Energy’s payout ratio is 34.88%.
Valero Energy News Roundup
Here are the key news stories impacting Valero Energy this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Goldman Sachs raised its price target on Valero Energy to $357 from a prior level, reinforcing a bullish view and suggesting additional upside from current levels. The Goldman Sachs Group Increases Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) Price Target to $357.00
- Positive Sentiment: Piper Sandler reaffirmed its overweight rating and set a $329 price target, signaling continued confidence in Valero’s refining business and valuation. Valero Energy had its “overweight” rating reaffirmed by Piper Sandler
- Positive Sentiment: Valero’s board affirmed its regular quarterly dividend of $1.20 per share, which supports the stock’s appeal for income-focused investors and may be contributing to recent momentum. Valero Energy (VLO) Eyes Earnings And Crude Supply Shifts, Is The Stock Fully Priced?
- Positive Sentiment: Zacks highlighted Valero as a strong momentum stock, reflecting technical strength that can attract traders and trend-following investors. Here’s Why Valero Energy (VLO) is a Strong Momentum Stock
- Neutral Sentiment: Analysts expect Valero’s earnings to grow when it reports next week, but Zacks also said the setup does not look especially favorable for an earnings beat, creating a mixed near-term outlook. Valero Energy (VLO) Earnings Expected to Grow: What to Know Ahead of Next Week’s Release
- Neutral Sentiment: Valero was noted to be attracting unusually high investor attention on Zacks, which indicates rising interest but does not by itself change the fundamentals. Valero Energy Corporation (VLO) is Attracting Investor Attention: Here is What You Should Know
- Negative Sentiment: One report said Valero underperformed peers on Thursday, suggesting some short-term profit-taking or relative weakness versus other refiners. Valero Energy Corp. stock underperforms Thursday when compared to competitors
Insider Buying and Selling at Valero Energy
In other news, SVP Eric A. Fisher sold 7,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $268.17, for a total value of $2,011,275.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 19,742 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,294,212.14. This represents a 27.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 0.36% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.
About Valero Energy
Valero Energy Corporation is a San Antonio, Texas–based integrated downstream energy company that manufactures and markets transportation fuels, petrochemical feedstocks and other industrial products. The company’s operations focus on refining crude oil into finished fuels such as gasoline, diesel and jet fuel, as well as producing asphalt and other refined product streams for commercial and industrial customers.
In addition to refining, Valero has significant operations in renewable fuels, including the production of ethanol and other biofuels, and it manages an extensive logistics network of pipelines, terminals, rail and marine assets to move feedstocks and finished products.
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