Bollard Group LLC Boosts Stock Position in Valero Energy Corporation $VLO

Bollard Group LLC lifted its stake in Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO) by 17.3% in the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 73,212 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after purchasing an additional 10,816 shares during the period. Bollard Group LLC’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $18,089,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Whipplewood Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Valero Energy by 3,400.0% in the 1st quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC now owns 105 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 102 shares in the last quarter. JPL Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Valero Energy during the 3rd quarter worth $27,000. Financial Life Planners acquired a new position in shares of Valero Energy during the 1st quarter valued at about $28,000. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Valero Energy by 134.0% during the 1st quarter. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 117 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 67 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Torren Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Valero Energy in the fourth quarter valued at about $30,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have commented on VLO. UBS Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $280.00 target price on shares of Valero Energy in a research note on Thursday, June 11th. Mizuho increased their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $222.00 to $289.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 27th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $286.00 to $357.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday. Citigroup lifted their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $259.00 to $302.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 14th. Finally, Scotiabank upped their price objective on Valero Energy from $178.00 to $226.00 and gave the company a “sector outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 22nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating, eight have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Valero Energy has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $266.71.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, SVP Eric A. Fisher sold 7,500 shares of Valero Energy stock in a transaction on Monday, June 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $268.17, for a total transaction of $2,011,275.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 19,742 shares in the company, valued at $5,294,212.14. This trade represents a 27.53% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 0.36% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Valero Energy News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Goldman Sachs raised its price target on Valero Energy to $357 from a prior level, reinforcing a bullish view and suggesting additional upside from current levels. The Goldman Sachs Group Increases Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) Price Target to $357.00
• Positive Sentiment: Piper Sandler reaffirmed its overweight rating and set a $329 price target, signaling continued confidence in Valero’s refining business and valuation. Valero Energy had its “overweight” rating reaffirmed by Piper Sandler
• Positive Sentiment: Valero’s board affirmed its regular quarterly dividend of $1.20 per share, which supports the stock’s appeal for income-focused investors and may be contributing to recent momentum. Valero Energy (VLO) Eyes Earnings And Crude Supply Shifts, Is The Stock Fully Priced?
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks highlighted Valero as a strong momentum stock, reflecting technical strength that can attract traders and trend-following investors. Here’s Why Valero Energy (VLO) is a Strong Momentum Stock
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts expect Valero’s earnings to grow when it reports next week, but Zacks also said the setup does not look especially favorable for an earnings beat, creating a mixed near-term outlook. Valero Energy (VLO) Earnings Expected to Grow: What to Know Ahead of Next Week’s Release
• Neutral Sentiment: Valero was noted to be attracting unusually high investor attention on Zacks, which indicates rising interest but does not by itself change the fundamentals. Valero Energy Corporation (VLO) is Attracting Investor Attention: Here is What You Should Know
• Negative Sentiment: One report said Valero underperformed peers on Thursday, suggesting some short-term profit-taking or relative weakness versus other refiners. Valero Energy Corp. stock underperforms Thursday when compared to competitors

Valero Energy Trading Down 0.9%

Shares of NYSE:VLO opened at $302.48 on Friday. Valero Energy Corporation has a 52 week low of $130.78 and a 52 week high of $320.24. The company’s 50 day moving average is $265.22 and its two-hundred day moving average is $234.39. The company has a market cap of $89.81 billion, a PE ratio of 21.98, a P/E/G ratio of 0.21 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.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last issued 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 business had revenue of $32.38 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $31.38 billion. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 15.94% and a net margin of 3.37%.The business’s quarterly revenue was up 7.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.89 EPS. Equities analysts predict that Valero Energy Corporation will post 35.11 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Dividend Announcement

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

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.