Kestra Advisory Services LLC Boosts Stock Holdings in Valero Energy Corporation $VLO

Key Points

• Kestra Advisory Services LLC boosted its Valero Energy stake by 15.7% in the first quarter, adding 8,197 shares to bring its total holdings to 60,489 shares valued at about $14.95 million.
• Valero reported stronger-than-expected first-quarter earnings of $4.22 per share on revenue of $32.38 billion, and analysts now expect the company to earn 31.04 per share for the full fiscal year.
• The company also paid a quarterly dividend of $1.20 per share, equal to a 1.7% annualized yield, while recent analyst moves have left the stock with a consensus rating of Moderate Buy.

Kestra Advisory Services LLC increased its stake in Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO - Free Report) by 15.7% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 60,489 shares of the oil and gas company's stock after acquiring an additional 8,197 shares during the period. Kestra Advisory Services LLC's holdings in Valero Energy were worth $14,946,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. State Street Corp raised its position in Valero Energy by 0.9% in the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 18,177,191 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $2,959,065,000 after purchasing an additional 163,975 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Valero Energy by 0.5% during the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 11,950,982 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $1,945,500,000 after buying an additional 63,919 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Valero Energy during the fourth quarter worth about $1,111,542,000. Franklin Resources Inc. increased its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 7.5% during the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 5,668,210 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $922,728,000 after buying an additional 394,693 shares during the period. Finally, Northern Trust Corp raised its holdings in Valero Energy by 0.5% in the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 3,285,161 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $534,791,000 after acquiring an additional 17,336 shares in the last quarter. 78.69% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Valero Energy Stock Performance

NYSE:VLO traded down $0.71 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $280.54. 1,931,882 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,034,427. The stock has a market capitalization of $83.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.39, a P/E/G ratio of 0.38 and a beta of 0.55. Valero Energy Corporation has a 1 year low of $130.78 and a 1 year high of $287.05. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $253.35 and a 200-day simple moving average of $224.56. The company has a quick ratio of 1.15, a current ratio of 1.58 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 for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.16 by $1.06. The business had revenue of $32.38 billion during 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 revenue was up 7.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.89 earnings per share. Analysts anticipate that Valero Energy Corporation will post 31.04 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 23rd. Investors of record on Thursday, May 21st were given a $1.20 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, May 21st. This represents a $4.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.7%. Valero Energy's dividend payout ratio is 34.88%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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

Trending Headlines about Valero Energy

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

• Positive Sentiment: Valero’s Gulf Coast refining network is benefiting from strong fuel demand, elevated crack spreads, and rising exports, which should support refining profitability. Strong Fuel Demand & Elevated Crack Spreads Support Valero's Outlook
• Positive Sentiment: Valero’s recent Russell reclassification into larger-cap and growth benchmarks may be drawing incremental index demand for the stock, while lower crude costs can help preserve refining margins. Why Valero (VLO) Is Up 5.0% After Russell Reclassification And Refining Margin Tailwinds
• Positive Sentiment: Renewed Middle East tensions and rising oil prices are keeping refining margins in focus, which can be supportive for Valero if crude costs remain softer than product prices. Can Valero Energy Benefit From Renewed Middle East Tensions?
• Neutral Sentiment: Valero is also being highlighted as a trending stock, which signals elevated investor attention but does not by itself change fundamentals. Valero Energy Corporation (VLO) Is a Trending Stock: Facts to Know Before Betting on It

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Mizuho boosted their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $222.00 to $289.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 27th. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Valero Energy from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a report on Wednesday. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $232.00 to $255.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Friday, June 12th. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Valero Energy from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, June 22nd. Finally, Barclays increased their target price on Valero Energy from $261.00 to $279.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 1st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating, nine have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Valero Energy currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $247.59.

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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