Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC Lowers Position in Valero Energy Corporation $VLO

Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC trimmed its position in shares of Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO) by 16.3% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,424,722 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 278,035 shares during the quarter. Valero Energy accounts for approximately 0.6% of Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 28th largest holding. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC owned about 0.48% of Valero Energy worth $344,013,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Woodline Partners LP boosted its position in 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 purchasing an additional 7,735 shares during the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 13.0% in the 2nd quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 1,929 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $259,000 after buying an additional 222 shares during the last quarter. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL purchased a new position in shares of Valero Energy in the 2nd quarter worth about $528,000. Sei Investments Co. grew its position in Valero Energy by 11.3% during the second quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 269,043 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $36,165,000 after buying an additional 27,291 shares during the period. Finally, Treasurer of the State of North Carolina grew its position in Valero Energy by 0.9% during the second quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 145,810 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $19,600,000 after buying an additional 1,338 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Valero Energy

In other news, SVP Eric A. Fisher sold 7,500 shares of Valero Energy stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 19,742 shares in the company, 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 document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.36% of the company’s stock.

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 stock opened at $300.48 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $89.22 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.84, a PEG ratio of 0.36 and a beta of 0.55. The company has a current ratio of 1.58, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $257.59 and its 200 day moving average is $228.76. Valero Energy Corporation has a 12 month low of $130.78 and a 12 month high of $303.64.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last released its quarterly earnings data 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 net margin of 3.37% and a return on equity of 15.94%. The company had revenue of $32.38 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $31.38 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.89 EPS. Valero Energy’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Valero Energy Corporation will post 32.04 earnings per share for the current year.

Valero Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 23rd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 21st were issued a $1.20 dividend. This represents a $4.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, May 21st. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 34.88%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

VLO has been the topic of several research reports. Citigroup lifted their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $259.00 to $302.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $232.00 to $255.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, June 12th. Wolfe Research restated 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 cut shares of Valero Energy from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 8th. Finally, Piper Sandler upped their price objective on Valero Energy from $236.00 to $263.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 8th. One 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 given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Valero Energy has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $253.06.

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.