D.A. Davidson & CO. Cuts Stake in Valero Energy Corporation $VLO

Key Points

• D.A. Davidson & Co. cut its Valero Energy stake by 53.1% in the first quarter, selling 59,183 shares and leaving it with 52,336 shares valued at about $12.93 million.
• Valero reported strong quarterly results, with EPS of $4.22 topping expectations by $1.06 and revenue of $32.38 billion also beating estimates; revenue rose 7% year over year.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $1.20 per share, while analysts currently rate the stock Moderate Buy with a consensus target price of $253.06.

D.A. Davidson & CO. lowered its stake in shares of Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO - Free Report) by 53.1% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 52,336 shares of the oil and gas company's stock after selling 59,183 shares during the period. D.A. Davidson & CO.'s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $12,931,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Whipplewood Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Valero Energy by 3,400.0% in the 1st quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC now owns 105 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 102 shares during the last quarter. Financial Life Planners bought a new position in shares of Valero Energy during the 1st quarter valued at about $28,000. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 134.0% during the 1st quarter. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 117 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 67 shares during the last quarter. Global Assets Advisory LLC purchased a new position in shares of Valero Energy during the first quarter valued at about $33,000. Finally, JPL Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Valero Energy during the third quarter valued at about $27,000. Institutional investors own 78.69% of the company's stock.

Valero Energy Trading Up 2.7%

VLO opened at $300.48 on Friday. The firm has a market cap 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 12 month low of $130.78 and a 12 month 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. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $257.59 and a 200 day moving average of $228.76.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The oil and gas company reported $4.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $3.16 by $1.06. The business had revenue of $32.38 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $31.38 billion. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 15.94% and a net margin of 3.37%.The company's quarterly revenue was up 7.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.89 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts forecast that Valero Energy Corporation will post 32.04 EPS for the current year.

Valero Energy Announces Dividend

The business 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 dividend of $1.20 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, July 31st. This represents a $4.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.6%. Valero Energy's payout ratio is currently 34.88%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Valero Energy

In related news, SVP Eric A. Fisher sold 7,500 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 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 transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.36% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on the company. Weiss Ratings downgraded Valero Energy from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 8th. Wolfe Research restated an "underperform" rating and set a $203.00 price target on shares of Valero Energy in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. Piper Sandler lifted their price objective on Valero Energy from $236.00 to $263.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 8th. Scotiabank upped their price objective on Valero Energy from $178.00 to $226.00 and gave the stock a "sector outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Finally, Barclays raised their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $261.00 to $279.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 1st. One equities research 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 assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Valero Energy presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price 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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