Cumberland Partners Ltd Takes Position in Valero Energy Corporation $VLO

Key Points

• Cumberland Partners Ltd opened a new position in Valero Energy, buying 4,600 shares in the first quarter valued at about $1.14 million.
• Valero reported a strong quarterly beat, with EPS of $4.22 versus the $3.16 estimate and revenue of $32.38 billion, up 7% year over year.
• The company also declared a quarterly dividend of $1.20 per share, while analysts have recently turned more constructive, including higher price targets from Goldman Sachs and Piper Sandler.

Cumberland Partners Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm acquired 4,600 shares of the oil and gas company's stock, valued at approximately $1,137,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the stock. Entropy Technologies LP lifted its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 434.9% during the first quarter. Entropy Technologies LP now owns 57,368 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $14,174,000 after purchasing an additional 46,644 shares during the last quarter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund increased its stake in Valero Energy by 158.6% in the 1st quarter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund now owns 419,159 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $103,566,000 after purchasing an additional 257,102 shares in the last quarter. Bollard Group LLC increased its stake in Valero Energy by 17.3% in the 1st quarter. Bollard Group LLC now owns 73,212 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $18,089,000 after purchasing an additional 10,816 shares in the last quarter. Compound Planning Inc. raised its holdings in Valero Energy by 1.6% during the 1st quarter. Compound Planning Inc. now owns 12,238 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $3,024,000 after buying an additional 191 shares during the period. Finally, Modern Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in Valero Energy by 7.5% during the 1st quarter. Modern Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,046 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $494,000 after buying an additional 143 shares during the period. 78.69% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Valero Energy Trading Down 0.9%

NYSE:VLO opened at $302.48 on Friday. 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 fifty-two week low of $130.78 and a fifty-two week high of $320.24. The stock's 50-day moving average is $265.22 and its two-hundred day moving average is $234.39. The stock has a market cap of $89.81 billion, a PE ratio of 21.98, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.21 and a beta of 0.55.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The oil and gas company reported $4.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $3.16 by $1.06. The business had revenue of $32.38 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $31.38 billion. Valero Energy had a net margin of 3.37% and a return on equity of 15.94%. The firm's revenue was up 7.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.89 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Valero Energy Corporation will post 35.11 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Announces Dividend

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

Insider Transactions at Valero Energy

In other Valero Energy news, SVP Eric A. Fisher sold 7,500 shares of Valero Energy stock in a transaction 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 owned 19,742 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,294,212.14. This trade represents a 27.53% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.36% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Trending Headlines about 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 recent analyst reports. Citigroup raised their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $259.00 to $302.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 14th. Scotiabank boosted their price target 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. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $286.00 to $357.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday. Wolfe Research reiterated an "underperform" rating and set a $203.00 price objective on shares of Valero Energy in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. Finally, Piper Sandler reissued an "overweight" rating and set a $329.00 target price on shares of Valero Energy in a research note on Thursday. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Valero Energy presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $266.71.

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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