Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) SVP Sells $95,440.00 in Stock

Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO) SVP Eric Fisher sold 400 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $238.60, for a total transaction of $95,440.00. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website.

Valero Energy Stock Down 2.2%

NYSE:VLO opened at $230.57 on Friday. Valero Energy Corporation has a twelve month low of $99.00 and a twelve month high of $240.27. The firm has a market capitalization of $68.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.18, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.18 and a beta of 0.70. The company has a quick ratio of 1.11, a current ratio of 1.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $197.83 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $177.83.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 29th. The oil and gas company reported $3.82 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.27 by $0.55. Valero Energy had a net margin of 1.91% and a return on equity of 12.35%. The company had revenue of $30.37 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $28.20 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.64 EPS. Valero Energy’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts expect that Valero Energy Corporation will post 7.92 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 9th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, February 5th were paid a $1.20 dividend. This is a positive change from Valero Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.13. This represents a $4.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 5th. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 62.83%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

VLO has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Bank of America reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $195.00 target price (down from $198.00) on shares of Valero Energy in a report on Thursday, December 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on Valero Energy from $197.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, January 8th. UBS Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Valero Energy in a research report on Tuesday, January 6th. Citigroup lifted their price target on Valero Energy from $190.00 to $212.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, February 9th. Finally, Zacks Research lowered Valero Energy from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating and ten have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $193.20.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Valero Energy

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Valero Energy in the fourth quarter valued at $1,111,542,000. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership bought a new stake in Valero Energy in the third quarter valued at approximately $275,239,000. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its position in Valero Energy by 16.7% during the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 8,141,511 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $1,089,897,000 after purchasing an additional 1,164,217 shares during the period. Pacer Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in Valero Energy by 2,635.7% during the 4th quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 950,527 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $154,736,000 after purchasing an additional 915,782 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Victory Capital Management Inc. raised its holdings in Valero Energy by 49.3% during the 4th quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 1,696,811 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $276,224,000 after purchasing an additional 560,116 shares during the last quarter. 78.69% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Valero Energy News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Valero Energy this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Goldman Sachs raised its price target to $237 and kept a Buy rating, offering a near-term catalyst and institutional endorsement that can support the share price. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Valero increased its quarterly dividend to $1.20 (annualized $4.80), which strengthens the income argument for the stock and can attract yield-focused buyers. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Notable institutional accumulation has been reported (several funds adding positions), signalling conviction from longer-term investors in a refining recovery. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts are revising fair-value assumptions (example fair value moved to ~$202.72), producing mixed calls — some firms lift targets, others trim them depending on refining/crude assumptions. This creates divergent analyst signals rather than a clear consensus catalyst. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Several investor-attention and dividend-themed write-ups (Zacks/Yahoo) are increasing visibility; helpful for flows but not a direct fundamental change. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling: SVP Eric A. Fisher disclosed sizable sales this week (8,311 shares at ~ $227.69 and an additional 400 shares at ~$238.60). Large insider disposals can spook short-term sentiment even though he retains a substantial holding. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Policy risk: reports that the White House is considering a temporary Jones Act waiver to ease fuel shipping could, if enacted, lower domestic fuel prices and compress refiners’ margins — a material industry risk for Valero. Read More.

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.