SVB Wealth LLC Decreases Stock Holdings in Valero Energy Corporation $VLO

Key Points

• SVB Wealth LLC reduced its Valero Energy stake by 21.9% in the first quarter, selling 4,361 shares and ending with 15,552 shares valued at about $3.84 million.
• Valero reported stronger-than-expected quarterly results, with EPS of $4.22 versus estimates of $3.16 and revenue of $32.38 billion, up 7% year over year.
• The company also announced a quarterly dividend of $1.20 per share, or $4.80 annualized, implying a 2.0% yield; meanwhile, analysts currently rate the stock a “Moderate Buy” with an average price target of $245.59.

SVB Wealth LLC lessened its holdings in Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO - Free Report) by 21.9% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 15,552 shares of the oil and gas company's stock after selling 4,361 shares during the quarter. SVB Wealth LLC's holdings in Valero Energy were worth $3,843,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of VLO. JPL Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Valero Energy during the 3rd quarter worth about $27,000. Torren Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Valero Energy during the 4th quarter worth about $30,000. AXS Investments LLC purchased a new stake in Valero Energy during the fourth quarter worth approximately $32,000. University of Texas Texas AM Investment Management Co. lifted its stake in Valero Energy by 157.0% during the fourth quarter. University of Texas Texas AM Investment Management Co. now owns 203 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 124 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC boosted its holdings in Valero Energy by 32.9% in the fourth quarter. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC now owns 206 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 51 shares in the last quarter. 78.69% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Valero Energy Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:VLO opened at $243.30 on Tuesday. Valero Energy Corporation has a one year low of $130.78 and a one year high of $265.61. The stock has a market capitalization of $72.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.68, a PEG ratio of 0.34 and a beta of 0.55. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $245.27 and a 200-day simple moving average of $215.55. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a current ratio of 1.58.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The oil and gas company reported $4.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $3.16 by $1.06. The firm had revenue of $32.38 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $31.38 billion. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 15.94% and a net margin of 3.37%.The business's revenue was up 7.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.89 earnings per share. On average, analysts predict that Valero Energy Corporation will post 27.45 EPS for the current year.

Valero Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 23rd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 21st will be paid a $1.20 dividend. This represents a $4.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.0%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 21st. Valero Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 34.88%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have commented on VLO. TD Cowen increased their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $255.00 to $276.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, May 4th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $203.00 to $237.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, March 12th. Scotiabank upped their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $178.00 to $226.00 and gave the company a "sector outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on Valero Energy from $220.00 to $292.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 31st. Finally, Wolfe Research reiterated an "underperform" rating and issued a $203.00 price objective on shares of Valero Energy in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Valero Energy presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $245.59.

Insider Buying and Selling at Valero Energy

In other news, SVP Eric A. Fisher sold 7,500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $236.90, for a total value of $1,776,750.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 27,242 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $6,453,629.80. The trade was a 21.59% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible 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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