Barings LLC Has $6.72 Million Stake in Valero Energy Corporation $VLO

Barings LLC boosted its stake in Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO) by 36.7% during the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 27,199 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after acquiring an additional 7,296 shares during the quarter. Barings LLC’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $6,720,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Whipplewood Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Valero Energy by 3,400.0% during the 1st 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 bought a new stake in shares of Valero Energy in the third quarter valued at about $27,000. Financial Life Planners bought a new stake in shares of Valero Energy in the first quarter valued at about $28,000. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Valero Energy by 134.0% during the first 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. Finally, Torren Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Valero Energy during the fourth quarter worth about $30,000. 78.69% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at Valero Energy

In other news, SVP Eric A. Fisher sold 7,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 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 trade represents a 27.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 0.36% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Key Stories Impacting Valero Energy

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

• Positive Sentiment: Valero declared a regular quarterly cash dividend of $1.20 per share, reinforcing its shareholder-return profile and signaling confidence in cash generation. Valero Energy Corporation Declares Regular Cash Dividend on Common Stock
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst-related coverage suggested Valero could run higher on rising earnings estimates, which typically supports the stock by pointing to improving profit expectations. Can Valero Energy (VLO) Run Higher on Rising Earnings Estimates?
• Positive Sentiment: Multiple reports said VLO hit a new 52-week high after an analyst upgrade, suggesting Wall Street sentiment has turned more constructive and helped extend the stock’s recent strength. Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) Sets New 12-Month High Following Analyst Upgrade
• Neutral Sentiment: There was also unusual options activity, with traders buying more put options than normal, which may indicate hedging or caution, but does not by itself explain a major fundamental shift.
• Neutral Sentiment: Broader refining-margin commentary for the sector was supportive overall, but it was focused on Marathon Petroleum rather than Valero specifically.

Valero Energy Stock Performance

Shares of VLO opened at $300.48 on Friday. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $257.59 and a 200-day moving average of $228.76. Valero Energy Corporation has a one year low of $130.78 and a one year high of $303.64. The company has a market cap of $89.22 billion, a PE ratio of 21.84, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.36 and a beta of 0.55. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a current ratio of 1.58 and a quick ratio of 1.15.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The oil and gas company reported $4.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.16 by $1.06. Valero Energy had a net margin of 3.37% and a return on equity of 15.94%. The company had revenue of $32.38 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $31.38 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.89 EPS. Valero Energy’s quarterly revenue was up 7.0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Valero Energy Corporation will post 32.04 earnings per share for the current year.

Valero Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 31st will be paid a $1.20 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 31st. This represents a $4.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.6%. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 34.88%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on VLO shares. TD Cowen lifted their target price on Valero Energy from $276.00 to $292.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, June 29th. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on Valero Energy from $232.00 to $255.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, June 12th. Wolfe Research reaffirmed an “underperform” rating and set a $203.00 price target on shares of Valero Energy in a research note 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, July 8th. 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 analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $253.06.

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.