State of Wyoming Buys Shares of 3,958 Valero Energy Corporation $VLO

Key Points

• State of Wyoming initiated a new position in Valero Energy, buying 3,958 shares valued at about $644,000 in the fourth quarter. Several other institutional investors also increased their stakes, and hedge funds and institutions now own 78.69% of the company.
• Valero reported strong quarterly results, posting EPS of $4.22 versus estimates of $3.16 and revenue of $32.38 billion, topping expectations. Revenue also rose 7% year over year, and analysts now expect full-year EPS of 26.51.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $1.20 per share, payable June 23, for an annualized yield of about 1.9%. Meanwhile, analysts remain mixed but overall rate the stock Moderate Buy with an average price target of $243.65.

State of Wyoming bought a new stake in Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund bought 3,958 shares of the oil and gas company's stock, valued at approximately $644,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. TD Asset Management Inc grew its stake in Valero Energy by 46.0% in the fourth quarter. TD Asset Management Inc now owns 209,277 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $34,068,000 after purchasing an additional 65,914 shares during the last quarter. Cibc World Market Inc. grew its stake in Valero Energy by 74.1% in the fourth quarter. Cibc World Market Inc. now owns 193,901 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $31,565,000 after purchasing an additional 82,542 shares during the last quarter. Lido Advisors LLC grew its stake in Valero Energy by 0.9% in the fourth quarter. Lido Advisors LLC now owns 118,064 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $19,627,000 after purchasing an additional 1,065 shares during the last quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc grew its stake in Valero Energy by 59.8% in the fourth quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 77,296 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $12,583,000 after purchasing an additional 28,936 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Marble Wealth LLC purchased a new position in Valero Energy in the fourth quarter valued at about $618,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.69% of the company's stock.

Valero Energy Price Performance

Shares of VLO stock opened at $256.03 on Friday. Valero Energy Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $127.83 and a fifty-two week high of $265.61. The firm has a market capitalization of $76.02 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.61, a PEG ratio of 0.38 and a beta of 0.55. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a current ratio of 1.58. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $244.66 and its 200-day simple moving average is $209.79.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The oil and gas company reported $4.22 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $3.16 by $1.06. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 15.94% and a net margin of 3.37%.The firm had revenue of $32.38 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $31.38 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.89 earnings per share. The company's revenue was up 7.0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Valero Energy Corporation will post 26.51 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 23rd. Investors of record on Thursday, May 21st will be issued a dividend of $1.20 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 21st. This represents a $4.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.9%. Valero Energy's payout ratio is 34.88%.

Insider Activity at Valero Energy

In related news, SVP Eric A. Fisher sold 400 shares of Valero Energy stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $238.60, for a total transaction of $95,440.00. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 0.36% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Wolfe Research restated an "underperform" rating and set a $203.00 price target on shares of Valero Energy in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. Scotiabank boosted their price target on Valero Energy from $178.00 to $226.00 and gave the stock a "sector outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 22nd. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on Valero Energy from $182.00 to $222.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Friday, April 24th. UBS Group boosted their price target on Valero Energy from $215.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 2nd. Finally, Mizuho boosted their price target on Valero Energy from $222.00 to $289.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 27th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Valero Energy currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $243.65.

Valero Energy News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks highlighted Valero as one of the best low-beta stocks to buy right away, pointing to recent gains, solid trading volume, and the appeal of defensive energy exposure amid market volatility. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Another Zacks note said cleaner transportation fuels are powering Valero’s growth, citing expansion in renewable diesel, sustainable aviation fuel, and ethanol as longer-term cash flow drivers. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Valero was also featured as a strong value and growth name, with Zacks assigning it favorable rankings that may reinforce investor confidence in the stock’s earnings and valuation profile. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Valero’s refining strength was emphasized again in a Zacks article arguing that high oil prices should not fully derail margins because of tight global refining capacity and low fuel inventories. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Multiple headlines noted that Valero recently hit a 52-week high and has outperformed the Nasdaq over the past year, suggesting strong momentum and supportive fundamentals. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: One article discussed whether VLO’s run can continue after reaching a 52-week high, but it mainly framed the question around existing fundamentals rather than delivering a clear new catalyst. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: A Yahoo Finance piece flagged possible bearish signals from insider stock sales over the past year, which could temper enthusiasm if investors focus on governance or insider sentiment. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Seeking Alpha argued Valero may be a great business but at the wrong price, implying valuation could be a headwind after the stock’s strong run. Article Title

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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