Eric Fisher Sells 7,500 Shares of Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) Stock

Key Points

• Valero Energy SVP Eric Fisher sold 7,500 shares on June 18 at an average price of $236.90, generating about $1.78 million in proceeds. After the sale, he still held 27,242 shares, a 21.59% reduction in his position.
• Valero reported stronger-than-expected quarterly results, with EPS of $4.22 versus the $3.16 consensus and revenue of $32.38 billion, up 7% from a year earlier. Analysts currently expect the company to earn 27.19 EPS for the full year.
• The company continues to return cash to shareholders with a quarterly dividend of $1.20 per share, or $4.80 annualized, yielding about 2.0%. The payout ratio is 34.88%, and the stock currently has a consensus analyst rating of “Moderate Buy.”

Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO - Get Free Report) SVP Eric Fisher sold 7,500 shares of the business'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 transaction of $1,776,750.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 27,242 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $6,453,629.80. This represents a 21.59% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website.

Valero Energy Price Performance

Valero Energy stock traded down $3.27 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $236.50. 6,122,592 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,539,742. Valero Energy Corporation has a 52 week low of $130.78 and a 52 week high of $265.61. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a current ratio of 1.58. The firm has a market cap of $70.22 billion, a PE ratio of 17.19, a PEG ratio of 0.35 and a beta of 0.55. The company's fifty day moving average is $245.47 and its 200-day moving average is $214.28.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The oil and gas company reported $4.22 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.16 by $1.06. The firm 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 business's quarterly revenue was up 7.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.89 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Valero Energy Corporation will post 27.19 EPS for the current year.

Valero Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 23rd. Investors of record on Thursday, May 21st will be given a dividend of $1.20 per share. This represents a $4.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.0%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 21st. Valero Energy's payout ratio is presently 34.88%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have weighed in on VLO shares. Barclays raised their price target on Valero Energy from $184.00 to $261.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 8th. Piper Sandler boosted their price objective on Valero Energy from $236.00 to $263.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 8th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Valero Energy from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, April 4th. Wolfe Research reaffirmed an "underperform" rating and issued a $203.00 target price on shares of Valero Energy in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. Finally, TD Cowen boosted their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $255.00 to $276.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Valero Energy currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $245.59.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Valero Energy

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Pacer Advisors Inc. increased its stake in Valero Energy by 15.0% in the 1st quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 1,092,978 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $270,053,000 after purchasing an additional 142,451 shares during the period. First National Bank of Mount Dora Trust Investment Services raised its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 245.0% during the first quarter. First National Bank of Mount Dora Trust Investment Services now owns 17,954 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $4,436,000 after acquiring an additional 12,750 shares during the last quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 15.2% during the first quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 2,850 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $704,000 after acquiring an additional 376 shares during the last quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 19.2% during the first quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 59,298 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $14,651,000 after purchasing an additional 9,553 shares during the period. Finally, First Nebraska Trust Co purchased a new stake in shares of Valero Energy during the first quarter worth about $286,000. Institutional investors own 78.69% of the company's stock.

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.

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