Bollard Group LLC Raises Holdings in Valero Energy Corporation $VLO

Key Points

• Bollard Group LLC boosted its Valero Energy stake by 17.3% in the first quarter, holding 73,212 shares worth about $18.1 million after adding 10,816 shares.
• Valero reported strong quarterly results, with EPS of $4.22 topping expectations by $1.06 and revenue of $32.38 billion beating estimates as well.
• Analysts remain broadly bullish: Goldman Sachs raised its price target to $357, while Valero also reiterated a $1.20 quarterly dividend, equal to a 1.6% annualized yield.

Bollard Group LLC increased its holdings in Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO - Free Report) by 17.3% in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 73,212 shares of the oil and gas company's stock after buying an additional 10,816 shares during the period. Bollard Group LLC's holdings in Valero Energy were worth $18,089,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Whipplewood Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Valero Energy by 3,400.0% during the first quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC now owns 105 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 102 shares during the last quarter. JPL Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Valero Energy during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $27,000. Financial Life Planners purchased a new stake in Valero Energy during the first quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in Valero Energy by 134.0% during the first quarter. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 117 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 67 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Torren Management LLC acquired a new stake in Valero Energy in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Institutional investors own 78.69% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

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 stock was 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 document filed 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 Stock Down 0.9%

VLO stock opened at $302.48 on Friday. Valero Energy Corporation has a 52 week low of $130.78 and a 52 week high of $320.24. The company has a quick ratio of 1.15, a current ratio of 1.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $265.22 and a 200-day simple moving average of $234.39. The stock has a market capitalization of $89.81 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.98, a P/E/G ratio of 0.21 and a beta of 0.55.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results 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. Valero Energy had a net margin of 3.37% and a return on equity of 15.94%. The firm had revenue of $32.38 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $31.38 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.89 EPS. Valero Energy's quarterly revenue was up 7.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts forecast that Valero Energy Corporation will post 35.11 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, July 31st will be given a $1.20 dividend. This represents a $4.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.6%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 31st. Valero Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 34.88%.

Key Stories Impacting Valero Energy

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

• Positive Sentiment: Goldman Sachs raised its price target on Valero Energy to $357 from a prior level, reinforcing a bullish view and suggesting additional upside from current levels. The Goldman Sachs Group Increases Valero Energy NYSE: VLO Price Target to $357.00
• Positive Sentiment: Piper Sandler reaffirmed its overweight rating and set a $329 price target, signaling continued confidence in Valero’s refining business and valuation. Valero Energy had its "overweight" rating reaffirmed by Piper Sandler
• Positive Sentiment: Valero’s board affirmed its regular quarterly dividend of $1.20 per share, which supports the stock’s appeal for income-focused investors and may be contributing to recent momentum. Valero Energy (VLO) Eyes Earnings And Crude Supply Shifts, Is The Stock Fully Priced?
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks highlighted Valero as a strong momentum stock, reflecting technical strength that can attract traders and trend-following investors. Here's Why Valero Energy (VLO) is a Strong Momentum Stock
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts expect Valero’s earnings to grow when it reports next week, but Zacks also said the setup does not look especially favorable for an earnings beat, creating a mixed near-term outlook. Valero Energy (VLO) Earnings Expected to Grow: What to Know Ahead of Next Week's Release
• Neutral Sentiment: Valero was noted to be attracting unusually high investor attention on Zacks, which indicates rising interest but does not by itself change the fundamentals. Valero Energy Corporation (VLO) is Attracting Investor Attention: Here is What You Should Know
• Negative Sentiment: One report said Valero underperformed peers on Thursday, suggesting some short-term profit-taking or relative weakness versus other refiners. Valero Energy Corp. stock underperforms Thursday when compared to competitors

Analysts Set New Price Targets

VLO has been the subject of several analyst reports. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective on Valero Energy from $286.00 to $357.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on Valero Energy from $232.00 to $255.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Friday, June 12th. Barclays upped their target price on Valero Energy from $261.00 to $279.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 1st. UBS Group reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $280.00 price target on shares of Valero Energy in a report on Thursday, June 11th. Finally, Scotiabank upped their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $178.00 to $226.00 and gave the company a "sector outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 22nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating, eight have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Valero Energy presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $266.71.

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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