Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) SVP Sells $1,892,331.59 in Stock

Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO) SVP Eric Fisher sold 8,311 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $227.69, for a total transaction of $1,892,331.59. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 42,242 shares in the company, valued at $9,618,080.98. The trade was a 16.44% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website.

Valero Energy Trading Down 2.2%

Shares of 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 firm has a market cap of $68.95 billion, a PE ratio of 30.18, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.18 and a beta of 0.70. The company has a 50-day moving average of $197.83 and a two-hundred day moving average of $177.83. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a current ratio of 1.64 and a quick ratio of 1.11.

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

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 9th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, February 5th were given a $1.20 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 5th. This is a positive change from Valero Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.13. This represents a $4.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.1%. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 62.83%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC raised its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 5.5% in the 4th quarter. CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC now owns 975 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $159,000 after purchasing an additional 51 shares in the last quarter. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC grew its stake in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 51 shares in the last quarter. Providence Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Valero Energy by 0.5% in the fourth quarter. Providence Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 9,610 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $1,564,000 after buying an additional 52 shares during the last quarter. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC increased its holdings in Valero Energy by 1.4% in the fourth quarter. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC now owns 3,788 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $617,000 after buying an additional 53 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Prospera Financial Services Inc raised its stake in Valero Energy by 0.3% in the fourth quarter. Prospera Financial Services Inc now owns 16,268 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $2,651,000 after buying an additional 53 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

More Valero Energy News

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.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

VLO has been the subject of several research analyst reports. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price target on Valero Energy from $203.00 to $237.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on Valero Energy from $197.00 to $200.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Argus upgraded Valero Energy to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Wall Street Zen upgraded Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, February 7th. Finally, Mizuho reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $192.00 target price (up from $190.00) on shares of Valero Energy in a research report on Friday, December 12th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating and ten have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Valero Energy presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $193.20.

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.