KBC Group NV Decreases Stake in Valero Energy Corporation $VLO

KBC Group NV cut its position in Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO) by 23.7% during the second quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 149,434 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 46,443 shares during the quarter. KBC Group NV’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $38,919,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Whipplewood Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 3,400.0% during the first quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC now owns 105 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 102 shares in the last quarter. JPL Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Valero Energy in the third quarter valued at $27,000. Financial Life Planners purchased a new stake in Valero Energy during the 1st quarter worth about $28,000. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Valero Energy by 134.0% during the 1st quarter. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 117 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 67 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Torren Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Valero Energy during the 4th quarter worth about $30,000. 78.69% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Valero Energy Stock Performance

Shares of VLO opened at $341.36 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.64, a quick ratio of 1.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37. The firm has a market cap of $98.29 billion, a PE ratio of 14.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.23 and a beta of 0.55. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $283.92 and its 200-day simple moving average is $247.97. Valero Energy Corporation has a 12-month low of $135.01 and a 12-month high of $346.09.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The oil and gas company reported $12.54 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $10.11 by $2.43. Valero Energy had a net margin of 5.17% and a return on equity of 26.74%. The firm had revenue of $44.48 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $39.47 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $2.28 EPS. Valero Energy’s quarterly revenue was up 48.8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts predict that Valero Energy Corporation will post 40.62 EPS for the current year.

Valero Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 31st. Investors of record on Friday, July 31st will be issued a dividend of $1.20 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, July 31st. This represents a $4.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.4%. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 19.92%.

Insider Transactions at Valero Energy

In related news, SVP Eric A. Fisher sold 7,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $268.17, for a total value of $2,011,275.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 19,742 shares in the company, valued at $5,294,212.14. The trade was a 27.53% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 0.36% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms recently weighed in on VLO. Weiss Ratings upgraded Valero Energy from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 6th. Barclays increased their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $279.00 to $323.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, July 31st. Piper Sandler restated an “overweight” rating and set a $329.00 price objective on shares of Valero Energy in a research report on Thursday, July 23rd. UBS Group increased their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $280.00 to $355.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, July 31st. Finally, Raymond James Financial lifted their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $300.00 to $340.00 and gave the stock a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, July 13th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $288.00.

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.