Ascent Wealth Partners LLC Takes Position in Valero Energy Corporation $VLO

Ascent Wealth Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO) during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm bought 32,828 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,111,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. V Square Quantitative Management LLC grew its position in Valero Energy by 0.6% in the first quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 6,670 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $1,648,000 after acquiring an additional 42 shares in the last quarter. CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC lifted its position in shares of Valero Energy by 5.5% during the fourth quarter. CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC now owns 975 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $159,000 after purchasing an additional 51 shares in the last quarter. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC lifted its position 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 boosted its stake in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 52 shares during the period. Finally, KPP Advisory Services LLC grew its holdings in Valero Energy by 2.5% during the 1st quarter. KPP Advisory Services LLC now owns 2,156 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $533,000 after purchasing an additional 52 shares in the last quarter. 78.69% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Valero Energy news, SVP Eric A. Fisher sold 7,500 shares of the company’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 transaction of $2,011,275.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president owned 19,742 shares in the company, valued at $5,294,212.14. This represents a 27.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 0.36% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Valero Energy Trading Up 3.1%

NYSE VLO opened at $309.50 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $91.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.49, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.38 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 Corporation has a 12 month low of $130.78 and a 12 month high of $309.90. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $258.97 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $229.32.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last released its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The oil and gas company reported $4.22 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.16 by $1.06. The company had revenue of $32.38 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $31.38 billion. Valero Energy had a net margin of 3.37% and a return on equity of 15.94%. The company’s revenue was up 7.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.89 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that Valero Energy Corporation will post 32.61 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Announces Dividend

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms recently issued reports on VLO. Scotiabank lifted their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $178.00 to $226.00 and gave the stock a “sector outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 22nd. Weiss Ratings downgraded Valero Energy from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 8th. Barclays lifted their target price on Valero Energy from $261.00 to $279.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 1st. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on Valero Energy from $232.00 to $255.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, June 12th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on Valero Energy from $220.00 to $292.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 31st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $253.06.

Key Stories Impacting Valero Energy

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

• Positive Sentiment: Valero expanded its share repurchase authorization, which can boost earnings per share over time and indicates the board sees value in the stock. Valero Energy Expands Share Repurchase Authorization Program
• Positive Sentiment: Valero declared a quarterly cash dividend of $1.20 per share, reinforcing its appeal to income-focused investors and highlighting strong cash generation. Valero Energy Corporation Declares Regular Cash Dividend on Common Stock
• Positive Sentiment: Energy stocks rose late Friday afternoon, with the broader sector gaining on the day, which likely provided a supportive backdrop for VLO shares. Sector Update: Energy Stocks Rise Late Afternoon
• Neutral Sentiment: Separately, there was unusual put-option activity in Valero, suggesting some traders are hedging or positioning for near-term volatility rather than making a clear directional bet.
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent articles also pointed to improving earnings estimates and momentum, which may be helping sentiment, though these were commentary pieces rather than new company announcements. Can Valero Energy (VLO) Run Higher on Rising Earnings Estimates?

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.