Gallacher Capital Management LLC Purchases Shares of 3,829 Valero Energy Corporation $VLO

Key Points

• Gallacher Capital Management opened a new position in Valero Energy, buying 3,829 shares worth about $946,000 in the first quarter.
• Several analysts raised price targets on VLO, with Raymond James lifting its target to $340; the stock now carries a Moderate Buy consensus and an average target of $253.06.
• Valero reported strong quarterly results, beating estimates with $4.22 EPS on $32.38 billion in revenue, and it also declared a $1.20-per-share quarterly dividend.

Gallacher Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund purchased 3,829 shares of the oil and gas company's stock, valued at approximately $946,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in VLO. Whipplewood Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of 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 buying an additional 102 shares during the last quarter. JPL Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Valero Energy during the third quarter worth $27,000. Financial Life Planners acquired a new position in Valero Energy during the first quarter worth $28,000. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC raised 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 worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 67 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Torren Management LLC bought a new stake in Valero Energy during the fourth quarter worth $30,000. Institutional investors own 78.69% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, SVP Eric A. Fisher sold 7,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, 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 filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.36% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

VLO has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Raymond James Financial lifted their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $300.00 to $340.00 and gave the company a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Monday. BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $230.00 to $270.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, April 6th. Mizuho raised their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $222.00 to $289.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 27th. Wolfe Research reiterated an "underperform" rating and set a $203.00 price target on shares of Valero Energy in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on Valero Energy from $232.00 to $255.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Friday, June 12th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average 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 Trading Up 2.7%

Shares of Valero Energy stock opened at $300.48 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. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $257.59 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $228.76. Valero Energy Corporation has a 1 year low of $130.78 and a 1 year high of $303.64. The company has a market capitalization of $89.22 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.84, a P/E/G ratio of 0.36 and a beta of 0.55.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The oil and gas company reported $4.22 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.16 by $1.06. The firm had revenue of $32.38 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $31.38 billion. Valero Energy had a net margin of 3.37% and a return on equity of 15.94%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 7.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.89 earnings per share. 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. Investors of record on Friday, July 31st will be issued 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 presently 34.88%.

About Valero Energy

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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