Legal & General Group Plc Has $417.28 Million Stake in Valero Energy Corporation $VLO

Legal & General Group Plc lowered its holdings in Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO) by 8.7% in the second quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 1,602,197 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 153,469 shares during the quarter. Legal & General Group Plc’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $417,276,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. V Square Quantitative Management LLC lifted its position in Valero Energy by 0.6% during the 1st quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 6,670 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $1,648,000 after buying an additional 42 shares in the last quarter. M.E. Allison & CO. Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 5.8% in the 2nd quarter. M.E. Allison & CO. Inc. now owns 916 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $239,000 after acquiring an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. Ridgecrest Wealth Partners LLC increased its position in shares of Valero Energy by 5.0% in the second quarter. Ridgecrest Wealth Partners LLC now owns 1,054 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $275,000 after acquiring an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC increased its position in shares of Valero Energy by 5.5% in the fourth quarter. CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC now owns 975 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $159,000 after acquiring an additional 51 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC raised its holdings in Valero Energy by 32.9% during the fourth quarter. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC now owns 206 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 51 shares in the last quarter. 78.69% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages recently commented on VLO. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on Valero Energy from $286.00 to $357.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 22nd. UBS Group boosted their price target on Valero Energy from $280.00 to $355.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, July 31st. Piper Sandler reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $329.00 price objective on shares of Valero Energy in a research note on Thursday, July 23rd. Zacks Research raised Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 4th. Finally, Citigroup raised their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $259.00 to $302.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 14th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $288.00.

More Valero Energy News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Wall Street analysts collectively rate VLO a Buy. While the article cautions that brokerage recommendations can be overly optimistic, the favorable consensus may continue to support investor demand. Wall Street Analysts See Valero Energy as a Buy
• Positive Sentiment: Valero was included in Zacks’ list of Rank #1, or Strong Buy, growth stocks. Its growth, value and momentum characteristics are being highlighted as reasons for long-term investor interest. Best Growth Stocks to Buy
• Positive Sentiment: In a comparison with Marathon Petroleum, Valero receives the edge because of its stronger balance sheet and share-price momentum, despite Marathon offering a cheaper valuation. This reinforces VLO’s positioning among large refiners. Marathon Versus Valero
• Positive Sentiment: Valero is also identified as a relatively low-beta stock, potentially appealing to investors seeking refining exposure with less market volatility. Low-Beta Stocks
• Neutral Sentiment: An article discusses whether Valero, along with other refiners, could afford to acquire Delek US Holdings. No transaction was announced, so the potential deal is not an immediate catalyst. Could Valero Afford Delek US Holdings
• Negative Sentiment: Valero shares have risen sharply—about 14% over the past month, 43% over three months and more than 100% year to date—while recently easing slightly. Analysts examining fair value suggest the stock may be fully valued or trading above intrinsic value, increasing the risk of profit-taking. Is Valero Fully Valued

Valero Energy Trading Down 1.6%

VLO stock opened at $340.61 on Wednesday. Valero Energy Corporation has a one year low of $145.14 and a one year high of $353.00. The stock has a market cap of $98.07 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.13, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.23 and a beta of 0.55. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $296.84 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $256.30. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37, a current ratio of 1.64 and a quick ratio of 1.23.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 30th. The oil and gas company reported $12.54 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $10.11 by $2.43. The company had revenue of $44.48 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $39.47 billion. Valero Energy had a net margin of 5.17% and a return on equity of 26.74%. The company’s revenue was up 48.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.28 earnings per share. Equities analysts anticipate 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. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 31st will be issued a $1.20 dividend. This represents a $4.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, July 31st. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 19.92%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Valero Energy news, SVP Eric A. Fisher sold 7,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $268.17, for a total transaction of $2,011,275.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 19,742 shares in the company, valued at $5,294,212.14. This trade represents a 27.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.36% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Valero Energy Profile

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.