Brookstone Capital Management Reduces Position in Valero Energy Corporation $VLO

Brookstone Capital Management trimmed its holdings in Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO) by 29.7% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 7,307 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 3,088 shares during the quarter. Brookstone Capital Management’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $1,805,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC boosted its stake 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 worth $159,000 after buying an additional 51 shares during the last quarter. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC increased its position in 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 valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 51 shares during the last quarter. Providence Wealth Advisors LLC lifted 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 acquiring an additional 52 shares during the period. Prospera Financial Services Inc lifted its holdings 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 acquiring an additional 53 shares during the period. Finally, HBK Sorce Advisory LLC boosted its position 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 worth $617,000 after purchasing an additional 53 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have issued reports on VLO. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price target on Valero Energy from $203.00 to $237.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 12th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Valero Energy from a “hold (c)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Valero Energy from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Saturday, April 4th. TD Cowen boosted their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $255.00 to $276.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, May 4th. Finally, Mizuho upped their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $222.00 to $289.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 27th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $245.59.

Valero Energy Stock Up 5.2%

NYSE VLO opened at $255.11 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $245.79 and its 200-day moving average price is $217.07. The company has a quick ratio of 1.15, a current ratio of 1.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39. Valero Energy Corporation has a 52 week low of $130.78 and a 52 week high of $265.61. The company has a market capitalization of $75.75 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.54, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.35 and a beta of 0.55.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The oil and gas company reported $4.22 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.16 by $1.06. The firm had revenue of $32.38 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations 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 period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.89 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that Valero Energy Corporation will post 27.45 earnings per share for the current year.

Valero Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 23rd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 21st were issued a dividend of $1.20 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, May 21st. This represents a $4.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.9%. Valero Energy’s payout ratio is currently 34.88%.

Key Valero Energy News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Valero is benefiting from a favorable refining backdrop, with commentary pointing to strong crack spreads, tight fuel inventories, and expectations that refinery utilization will remain high, all of which support earnings and cash flow. Valero Energy shares climb as refining margin tailwinds stay in focus
• Positive Sentiment: Valero has been highlighted as a strong cash-return story, with investors watching for continued dividends and share buybacks as refining conditions remain supportive. Valero Energy (VLO) Stock Is Tied To A Cash Return Story Right Now
• Positive Sentiment: Wells Fargo reiterated its buy rating on Valero, reinforcing a constructive view from analysts even as the stock trades near the upper end of its recent range. Wells Fargo Sticks to Their Buy Rating for Valero Energy (VLO)
• Neutral Sentiment: Comparative pieces versus Cenovus argue that Valero still looks attractive on recent gains, but also note that peers may offer lower valuation or different strategic advantages. Cenovus vs. Valero Energy: Which Energy Stock Is the Better Buy?
• Negative Sentiment: One Zacks Research note downgraded Valero from strong-buy to hold, which could temper enthusiasm after the recent run-up. Zacks.com

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 Thursday, June 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $236.90, for a total value of $1,776,750.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 27,242 shares in the company, valued at $6,453,629.80. This represents a 21.59% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.36% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Valero Energy Company 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.