AIA Group Ltd Acquires 13,967 Shares of Valero Energy Corporation $VLO

Key Points

• AIA Group Ltd boosted its stake in Valero Energy by 18.5% in the first quarter, adding 13,967 shares to bring its total holdings to 89,264 shares worth about $22.1 million.
• Valero reported strong quarterly results, with EPS of $4.22 beating estimates and revenue of $32.38 billion topping forecasts, while sales rose 7% year over year.
• The company also raised shareholder returns by expanding its share repurchase authorization and declaring a quarterly dividend of $1.20 per share, payable on August 31.

AIA Group Ltd increased its holdings in shares of Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO - Free Report) by 18.5% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 89,264 shares of the oil and gas company's stock after acquiring an additional 13,967 shares during the period. AIA Group Ltd's holdings in Valero Energy were worth $22,055,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Beacon Investment Advisory Services Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 33.5% during the fourth quarter. Beacon Investment Advisory Services Inc. now owns 42,376 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $6,898,000 after buying an additional 10,634 shares during the last quarter. Friedenthal Financial purchased a new position in Valero Energy in the 4th quarter worth approximately $954,000. CWA Asset Management Group LLC lifted its position in Valero Energy by 359.0% in the 4th quarter. CWA Asset Management Group LLC now owns 14,243 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $2,319,000 after acquiring an additional 11,140 shares in the last quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. lifted its position in Valero Energy by 24.7% in the 4th quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. now owns 565,171 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $92,004,000 after acquiring an additional 112,118 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Nordea Investment Management AB boosted its stake in Valero Energy by 51.3% during the 4th quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 92,328 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $14,938,000 after purchasing an additional 31,296 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.69% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at Valero Energy

In related news, SVP Eric A. Fisher sold 7,500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the sale, 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 filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.36% of the company's stock.

More Valero Energy News

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 Stock Performance

Shares of VLO opened at $309.50 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $91.90 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.49, a PEG 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 one year low of $130.78 and a one year high of $309.90. The business has a fifty day moving average of $258.97 and a 200 day moving average of $229.32.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The oil and gas company reported $4.22 earnings per share (EPS) 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 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 revenue for the quarter was up 7.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.89 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Valero Energy Corporation will post 32.61 EPS for the current year.

Valero Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, July 31st. This represents a $4.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.6%. Valero Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 34.88%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

VLO has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Weiss Ratings lowered Valero Energy from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 8th. Wolfe Research reaffirmed an "underperform" rating and set a $203.00 price objective on shares of Valero Energy in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. Zacks Research downgraded Valero Energy from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, June 22nd. BMO Capital Markets boosted their target price on Valero Energy from $230.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, April 6th. Finally, Raymond James Financial upped their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $300.00 to $340.00 and gave the company a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Monday, July 13th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Valero Energy has an average 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.

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