Swiss National Bank Has $221.16 Million Position in Valero Energy Corporation $VLO

Key Points

• Swiss National Bank increased its Valero Energy stake by 5.1% in the first quarter, ending with 895,100 shares valued at about $221.16 million. Institutional investors overall own a large majority of the company’s stock.
• Valero recently expanded its share repurchase authorization and declared a quarterly dividend of $1.20 per share, signaling confidence in cash generation and continued shareholder returns.
• The company beat quarterly expectations, reporting $4.22 EPS on $32.38 billion in revenue, while analysts remain generally constructive with a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a price target of $253.06.

Swiss National Bank boosted its position in Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO - Free Report) by 5.1% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 895,100 shares of the oil and gas company's stock after purchasing an additional 43,800 shares during the quarter. Swiss National Bank owned about 0.30% of Valero Energy worth $221,161,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in VLO. Whipplewood Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 3,400.0% during the first quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC now owns 105 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 102 shares in the last quarter. JPL Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Valero Energy in the third quarter valued at about $27,000. Financial Life Planners acquired a new position in shares of Valero Energy in the first quarter valued at about $28,000. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in Valero Energy by 134.0% during the first quarter. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 117 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 67 shares during the period. Finally, Torren Management LLC acquired a new stake in Valero Energy in the 4th quarter worth about $30,000. Institutional investors own 78.69% of the company's stock.

Key Valero Energy News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Valero expanded its share repurchase authorization, which can boost earnings per share over time and indicates the board sees value in the stock. Valero Energy Expands Share Repurchase Authorization Program
• Positive Sentiment: Valero declared a quarterly cash dividend of $1.20 per share, reinforcing its appeal to income-focused investors and highlighting strong cash generation. Valero Energy Corporation Declares Regular Cash Dividend on Common Stock
• Positive Sentiment: Energy stocks rose late Friday afternoon, with the broader sector gaining on the day, which likely provided a supportive backdrop for VLO shares. Sector Update: Energy Stocks Rise Late Afternoon
• Neutral Sentiment: Separately, there was unusual put-option activity in Valero, suggesting some traders are hedging or positioning for near-term volatility rather than making a clear directional bet.
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent articles also pointed to improving earnings estimates and momentum, which may be helping sentiment, though these were commentary pieces rather than new company announcements. Can Valero Energy (VLO) Run Higher on Rising Earnings Estimates?

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have issued reports on the stock. Scotiabank boosted their price objective 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. Piper Sandler raised their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $236.00 to $263.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 8th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $230.00 to $270.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, April 6th. Citigroup boosted their price target on Valero Energy from $259.00 to $302.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 14th. Finally, Weiss Ratings downgraded Valero Energy from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 8th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $253.06.

Insider Transactions at Valero Energy

In related news, SVP Eric A. Fisher sold 7,500 shares of Valero Energy stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $268.17, for a total value of $2,011,275.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 19,742 shares of the company's stock, 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 legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 0.36% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Valero Energy Trading Down 0.0%

VLO opened at $309.50 on Monday. Valero Energy Corporation has a twelve month low of $130.78 and a twelve month high of $309.90. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $258.97 and a 200 day simple moving average of $229.77. The company has a quick ratio of 1.15, a current ratio of 1.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39. The stock has a market capitalization of $91.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.49, a P/E/G ratio of 0.37 and a beta of 0.55.

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, beating the consensus estimate 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 net margin of 3.37% and a return on equity of 15.94%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 7.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.89 EPS. Analysts predict that Valero Energy Corporation will post 32.61 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Dividend Announcement

The company 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 dividend of $1.20 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 31st. This represents a $4.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.6%. Valero Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 34.88%.

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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