Eric Fisher Sells 400 Shares of Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) Stock

Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO) SVP Eric Fisher sold 400 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $238.60, for a total transaction of $95,440.00. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website.

Valero Energy Price Performance

VLO stock opened at $230.57 on Friday. Valero Energy Corporation has a 1 year low of $99.00 and a 1 year high of $240.27. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a current ratio of 1.64. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $197.83 and its 200 day moving average price is $177.61. The firm has a market cap of $68.95 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.18, a PEG ratio of 1.20 and a beta of 0.70.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The oil and gas company reported $3.82 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.27 by $0.55. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 12.35% and a net margin of 1.91%.The firm had revenue of $30.37 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $28.20 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.64 EPS. Valero Energy’s quarterly revenue was down 1.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Valero Energy Corporation will post 7.92 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 9th. Investors of record on Thursday, February 5th were paid a dividend of $1.20 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 5th. This is an increase from Valero Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.13. This represents a $4.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.1%. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio is 62.83%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

VLO has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, February 7th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $203.00 to $237.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday. Citigroup boosted their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $190.00 to $212.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, February 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $197.00 to $200.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Finally, Mizuho restated a “neutral” rating and set a $192.00 target price (up from $190.00) on shares of Valero Energy in a research report on Friday, December 12th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating and ten have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $193.20.

Institutional Trading of Valero Energy

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Woodline Partners LP boosted its position in shares of Valero Energy by 40.7% in the first quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 26,747 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $3,532,000 after acquiring an additional 7,735 shares during the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC increased its position in Valero Energy by 13.0% during the second quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 1,929 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $259,000 after purchasing an additional 222 shares during the last quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. purchased a new position in Valero Energy during the second quarter worth approximately $4,725,000. Acadian Asset Management LLC raised its stake in Valero Energy by 15.3% during the second quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 119,225 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $16,020,000 after purchasing an additional 15,861 shares during the period. Finally, Midwest Trust Co acquired a new position in shares of Valero Energy in the 2nd quarter valued at $541,000. 78.69% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Stories Impacting Valero Energy

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.