Sovran Advisors LLC Has $1.13 Million Position in Valero Energy Corporation $VLO

Sovran Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO) by 115.3% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 4,462 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,390 shares during the period. Sovran Advisors LLC’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $1,127,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Whipplewood Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in 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 valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 102 shares in the last quarter. Financial Life Planners acquired a new position in shares of Valero Energy in the 1st quarter worth approximately $28,000. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC lifted 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 buying an additional 67 shares during the period. JPL Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Valero Energy during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $27,000. Finally, Torren Management LLC acquired a new stake in Valero Energy in the 4th quarter valued at $30,000. Institutional investors own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Valero Energy News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Valero’s Gulf Coast refining network is benefiting from strong fuel demand, elevated crack spreads, and rising exports, which should support refining profitability. Strong Fuel Demand & Elevated Crack Spreads Support Valero’s Outlook
• Positive Sentiment: Valero’s recent Russell reclassification into larger-cap and growth benchmarks may be drawing incremental index demand for the stock, while lower crude costs can help preserve refining margins. Why Valero (VLO) Is Up 5.0% After Russell Reclassification And Refining Margin Tailwinds
• Positive Sentiment: Renewed Middle East tensions and rising oil prices are keeping refining margins in focus, which can be supportive for Valero if crude costs remain softer than product prices. Can Valero Energy Benefit From Renewed Middle East Tensions?
• Neutral Sentiment: Valero is also being highlighted as a trending stock, which signals elevated investor attention but does not by itself change fundamentals. Valero Energy Corporation (VLO) Is a Trending Stock: Facts to Know Before Betting on It

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have issued reports on VLO. Wall Street Zen upgraded Valero Energy from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, April 4th. Barclays upped their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $261.00 to $279.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 1st. Wolfe Research reiterated an “underperform” rating and set a $203.00 target price on shares of Valero Energy in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Valero Energy from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Wednesday. Finally, Citigroup upped their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $246.00 to $259.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, May 1st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating, nine have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Valero Energy presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $247.59.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Valero Energy news, SVP Eric A. Fisher sold 7,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 19,742 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,294,212.14. The trade was a 27.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.36% of the company’s stock.

Valero Energy Price Performance

Valero Energy stock opened at $280.54 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a current ratio of 1.58. The firm has a market cap of $83.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.39, a P/E/G ratio of 0.35 and a beta of 0.55. The business’s fifty day moving average is $253.35 and its two-hundred day moving average is $224.99. Valero Energy Corporation has a 52 week low of $130.78 and a 52 week high of $287.05.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The oil and gas company reported $4.22 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.16 by $1.06. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 15.94% and a net margin of 3.37%.The company had revenue of $32.38 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $31.38 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.89 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.0% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts forecast that Valero Energy Corporation will post 31.04 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 23rd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 21st were given a $1.20 dividend. This represents a $4.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.7%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, May 21st. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 34.88%.

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.