Montrusco Bolton Investments Inc. Decreases Stake in Valero Energy Corporation $VLO

Key Points

• Montrusco Bolton Investments reduced its Valero stake by 12.3% in Q4, selling 154,738 shares and now holding 1,100,912 shares (about 0.36% of VLO) valued at roughly $179.2 million, making it the fund's 18th largest position.
• Other institutions moved in the opposite direction—Arrowstreet opened a new ~$275M position and firms like Franklin, Allspring, MFS and Voloridge materially increased holdings, leaving institutional ownership at 78.69%.
• Analysts have grown more bullish (Wells Fargo raised its target to $292, BMO to $270, Goldman to $237) and MarketBeat's consensus is a “Moderate Buy” with a $230.65 target; Valero also recently beat quarterly EPS estimates ($3.82 vs. $3.27).

Montrusco Bolton Investments Inc. lowered its stake in Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO - Free Report) by 12.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,100,912 shares of the oil and gas company's stock after selling 154,738 shares during the period. Valero Energy accounts for 2.2% of Montrusco Bolton Investments Inc.'s holdings, making the stock its 18th biggest position. Montrusco Bolton Investments Inc. owned 0.36% of Valero Energy worth $179,217,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership purchased a new position in shares of Valero Energy during the third quarter worth $275,239,000. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC raised its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 17.7% during the third quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 1,706,187 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $286,076,000 after purchasing an additional 256,373 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 5.0% during the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 5,273,517 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $897,869,000 after purchasing an additional 249,195 shares during the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA raised its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 13.3% during the third quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 1,929,599 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $328,534,000 after purchasing an additional 226,167 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Voloridge Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 96.5% during the third quarter. Voloridge Investment Management LLC now owns 444,919 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $75,752,000 after purchasing an additional 218,448 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.69% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $220.00 to $292.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 31st. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective 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. Zacks Research raised shares of Valero Energy from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Tuesday. Citigroup lifted their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $212.00 to $246.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 15th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $203.00 to $237.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, March 12th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $230.65.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, SVP Eric A. Fisher sold 8,311 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $227.69, for a total transaction of $1,892,331.59. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 42,242 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,618,080.98. The trade was a 16.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.36% of the company's stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Valero Energy

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

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research upgraded VLO from "hold" to "strong-buy," giving the stock a favorable analyst vote that can support further buying interest. Zacks Upgrade
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts at Zacks and other outlets preview VLO’s upcoming earnings and flag that Valero has the key ingredients for a likely earnings beat (strong refining margins, stable throughput expectations), which tends to lift sentiment into the print. Earnings Preview
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage pieces note VLO is a "trending" stock on investor platforms — increased attention can boost volume and volatility but is not a directional catalyst by itself. Trending Article
• Neutral Sentiment: Reminder: Valero is scheduled to report quarterly results shortly; timing and any guidance/comments on margins and throughput will likely be the primary near-term driver. Earnings Date Note
• Negative Sentiment: Morgan Stanley raised its price target to $222 but kept an "equal weight" rating — the $222 TP is below the current market level, implying downside versus today's price and signaling limited upside from this shop. Morgan Stanley Note
• Negative Sentiment: Wolfe Research reiterated an "Underperform" rating, which could pressure sentiment among more cautious institutional holders and add selling pressure if the earnings print disappoints. Wolfe Research

Valero Energy Stock Up 0.8%

Shares of NYSE VLO opened at $235.66 on Friday. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $228.55 and its 200-day simple moving average is $193.93. Valero Energy Corporation has a 52-week low of $112.00 and a 52-week high of $258.43. The firm has a market cap of $70.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.85, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.46 and a beta of 0.62. The company has a quick ratio of 1.11, a current ratio of 1.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The oil and gas company reported $3.82 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.27 by $0.55. Valero Energy had a net margin of 1.91% and a return on equity of 12.35%. The business had revenue of $30.37 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $28.20 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $0.64 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was down 1.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts predict that Valero Energy Corporation will post 19.03 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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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