Arizona State Retirement System Has $14.20 Million Position in Valero Energy Corporation $VLO

Key Points

• Arizona State Retirement System trimmed its Valero Energy stake by 4.6% in Q4, selling 4,252 shares and now holding 87,221 shares valued at about $14.20 million.
• Valero beat quarterly expectations with $3.82 EPS vs. $3.27 expected and $30.37 billion revenue, and the stock trades near $235.66 with a market cap of $70.47 billion and a 52-week range of $112.00–$258.43.
• Analyst views are mixed but generally constructive — several firms raised price targets (Goldman to $237, Zacks to strong-buy) while others remain cautious — leaving an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average target of $230.65; institutional ownership is about 78.7%.

Arizona State Retirement System cut its stake in Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO - Free Report) by 4.6% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 87,221 shares of the oil and gas company's stock after selling 4,252 shares during the quarter. Arizona State Retirement System's holdings in Valero Energy were worth $14,199,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Valero Energy by 17.4% in the 3rd quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 160,794 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $27,377,000 after buying an additional 23,859 shares during the period. Rakuten Investment Management Inc. bought a new position in Valero Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at about $4,534,000. Tema Etfs LLC bought a new position in Valero Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at about $1,669,000. Cerity Partners LLC increased its holdings in Valero Energy by 9.0% in the 3rd quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 104,859 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $17,853,000 after buying an additional 8,638 shares during the period. Finally, National Pension Service increased its holdings in Valero Energy by 3.6% in the 3rd quarter. National Pension Service now owns 491,134 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $83,620,000 after buying an additional 17,165 shares during the period. 78.69% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Valero Energy News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research upgraded VLO from "hold" to "strong-buy," giving the stock a favorable analyst vote that can support further buying interest. Zacks Upgrade
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts at Zacks and other outlets preview VLO’s upcoming earnings and flag that Valero has the key ingredients for a likely earnings beat (strong refining margins, stable throughput expectations), which tends to lift sentiment into the print. Earnings Preview
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage pieces note VLO is a "trending" stock on investor platforms — increased attention can boost volume and volatility but is not a directional catalyst by itself. Trending Article
• Neutral Sentiment: Reminder: Valero is scheduled to report quarterly results shortly; timing and any guidance/comments on margins and throughput will likely be the primary near-term driver. Earnings Date Note
• Negative Sentiment: Morgan Stanley raised its price target to $222 but kept an "equal weight" rating — the $222 TP is below the current market level, implying downside versus today's price and signaling limited upside from this shop. Morgan Stanley Note
• Negative Sentiment: Wolfe Research reiterated an "Underperform" rating, which could pressure sentiment among more cautious institutional holders and add selling pressure if the earnings print disappoints. Wolfe Research

Valero Energy Stock Up 0.8%

Valero Energy stock opened at $235.66 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a current ratio of 1.64. Valero Energy Corporation has a 52-week low of $112.00 and a 52-week high of $258.43. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $228.55 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $193.93. The firm has a market cap of $70.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.85, a PEG ratio of 0.46 and a beta of 0.62.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The oil and gas company reported $3.82 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $3.27 by $0.55. Valero Energy had a net margin of 1.91% and a return on equity of 12.35%. The company had revenue of $30.37 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $28.20 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.64 EPS. Valero Energy's quarterly revenue was down 1.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts predict that Valero Energy Corporation will post 19.03 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have commented on VLO. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $203.00 to $237.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, March 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $197.00 to $200.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Scotiabank raised their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $178.00 to $226.00 and gave the company a "sector outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $182.00 to $222.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Friday. Finally, Citigroup raised their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $212.00 to $246.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 15th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $230.65.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Valero Energy news, SVP Eric A. Fisher sold 400 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $238.60, for a total transaction of $95,440.00. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.36% of the company's stock.

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.

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