Aware Super Pty Ltd as trustee of Aware Super Acquires New Holdings in Valero Energy Corporation $VLO

Aware Super Pty Ltd as trustee of Aware Super bought a new stake in Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 85,126 shares of the oil and gas company's stock, valued at approximately $21,033,000.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Valero Energy in the fourth quarter worth approximately $1,111,542,000. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership acquired a new position in shares of Valero Energy during the 3rd quarter valued at $275,239,000. Pacer Advisors Inc. raised its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 2,635.7% in the 4th quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 950,527 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $154,736,000 after buying an additional 915,782 shares in the last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 49.3% in the 4th quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 1,696,811 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $276,224,000 after buying an additional 560,116 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 7.5% in the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 5,668,210 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $922,728,000 after buying an additional 394,693 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.69% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, SVP Eric A. Fisher sold 7,500 shares of the company'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 value of $2,011,275.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 19,742 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,294,212.14. This represents a 27.53% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.36% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Valero Energy Trading Up 2.7%

Shares of VLO opened at $300.48 on Friday. The business's 50-day moving average price is $257.59 and its 200 day moving average price is $228.76. The stock has a market capitalization of $89.22 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.84, a P/E/G ratio of 0.36 and a beta of 0.55. Valero Energy Corporation has a 1-year low of $130.78 and a 1-year high of $303.64. 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 - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 15.94% and a net margin of 3.37%.The firm had revenue of $32.38 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $31.38 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.89 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 7.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts expect that Valero Energy Corporation will post 32.04 earnings per share for the current year.

Valero Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 23rd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 21st were issued a dividend of $1.20 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, May 21st. This represents a $4.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.6%. Valero Energy's payout ratio is currently 34.88%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages recently weighed in on VLO. Wall Street Zen raised Valero Energy from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, April 4th. UBS Group reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $280.00 price target on shares of Valero Energy in a research report on Thursday, June 11th. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Valero Energy from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 8th. Barclays raised their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $261.00 to $279.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 1st. Finally, Wolfe Research reaffirmed an "underperform" rating and issued a $203.00 price objective on shares of Valero Energy in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating, nine have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Valero Energy currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $253.06.

Valero Energy News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Valero declared a regular quarterly cash dividend of $1.20 per share, reinforcing its shareholder-return profile and signaling confidence in cash generation. Valero Energy Corporation Declares Regular Cash Dividend on Common Stock
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst-related coverage suggested Valero could run higher on rising earnings estimates, which typically supports the stock by pointing to improving profit expectations. Can Valero Energy (VLO) Run Higher on Rising Earnings Estimates?
• Positive Sentiment: Multiple reports said VLO hit a new 52-week high after an analyst upgrade, suggesting Wall Street sentiment has turned more constructive and helped extend the stock’s recent strength. Valero Energy NYSE: VLO Sets New 12-Month High Following Analyst Upgrade
• Neutral Sentiment: There was also unusual options activity, with traders buying more put options than normal, which may indicate hedging or caution, but does not by itself explain a major fundamental shift.
• Neutral Sentiment: Broader refining-margin commentary for the sector was supportive overall, but it was focused on Marathon Petroleum rather than Valero specifically.

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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