Sei Investments Co. Sells 31,772 Shares of Valero Energy Corporation $VLO

Key Points

• Sei Investments Co. cut its Valero Energy stake by 9.6% in the first quarter, selling 31,772 shares and ending with 300,823 shares valued at about $74.3 million.
• Valero posted stronger-than-expected quarterly results, with EPS of $4.22 versus estimates of $3.16 and revenue of $32.38 billion, while analysts now expect full-year earnings of 35.11 per share.
• The company also declared a $1.20 quarterly dividend, equal to a $4.80 annualized payout and a 1.6% yield; meanwhile, analysts remain mostly positive with a consensus Moderate Buy rating and target price of $266.71.

Sei Investments Co. decreased its holdings in Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO - Free Report) by 9.6% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 300,823 shares of the oil and gas company's stock after selling 31,772 shares during the quarter. Sei Investments Co. owned approximately 0.10% of Valero Energy worth $74,326,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. State Street Corp grew its position in shares of 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 buying an additional 163,975 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 0.5% in the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 11,950,982 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $1,945,500,000 after buying an additional 63,919 shares during the period. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Valero Energy during the fourth quarter worth about $1,111,542,000. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its position 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 acquiring an additional 394,693 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Northern Trust Corp lifted its stake in shares of 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 worth $534,791,000 after acquiring an additional 17,336 shares during the period. 78.69% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Valero Energy Price Performance

Shares of NYSE VLO opened at $302.48 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $89.81 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.98, a P/E/G ratio of 0.21 and a beta of 0.55. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $265.22 and its 200-day moving average price is $234.39. The company has a current ratio of 1.58, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39. Valero Energy Corporation has a 1-year low of $130.78 and a 1-year high of $320.24.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The oil and gas company reported $4.22 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $3.16 by $1.06. The firm had revenue of $32.38 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations 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 for the quarter was up 7.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.89 earnings per share. Equities research analysts anticipate that Valero Energy Corporation will post 35.11 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 31st. Investors of record on Friday, July 31st will be given a $1.20 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, July 31st. This represents a $4.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.6%. Valero Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 34.88%.

Key Stories Impacting 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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently commented on the company. BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on Valero Energy from $230.00 to $270.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, April 6th. Raymond James Financial raised their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $300.00 to $340.00 and gave the stock a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Monday, July 13th. Wolfe Research restated an "underperform" rating and issued a $203.00 price target on shares of Valero Energy in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Valero Energy from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research note on Thursday. Finally, Zacks Research cut shares of Valero Energy from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, June 22nd. One investment 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 company. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $266.71.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, SVP Eric A. Fisher sold 7,500 shares of Valero Energy stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 19,742 shares in the company, valued at $5,294,212.14. This trade represents a 27.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.36% of the company's stock.

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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