Valero Energy Corporation $VLO Holdings Cut by Lmcg Investments LLC

Key Points

• Lmcg Investments cut its Valero Energy stake by 9.1% in the third quarter, selling 4,165 shares and retaining 41,690 shares valued at approximately $16.2 million. Other major institutional investors increased their positions, with institutional ownership reaching 78.69%.
• Analysts remain broadly positive, with Valero holding a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating and an average price target of $382.62. Recent target increases included Wells Fargo’s $485 target and Bank of America’s $414 target.
• Valero’s stock opened at $436.56, near its 12-month high of $461.52, as investors anticipate benefits from stronger refining margins. The company’s latest quarterly results exceeded expectations, with $12.54 EPS and $44.48 billion in revenue.

Lmcg Investments LLC lessened its stake in shares of Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO - Free Report) by 9.1% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 41,690 shares of the oil and gas company's stock after selling 4,165 shares during the quarter. Lmcg Investments LLC's holdings in Valero Energy were worth $16,159,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in VLO. Bank of America Corp DE raised its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 11.4% during the first quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 5,033,310 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $1,243,630,000 after purchasing an additional 516,975 shares during the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp lifted its position in Valero Energy by 9.4% during the first quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 2,969,320 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $733,660,000 after purchasing an additional 254,604 shares during the period. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership lifted its position in Valero Energy by 18.4% during the first quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 2,842,339 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $702,285,000 after purchasing an additional 442,177 shares during the period. Amundi lifted its position in Valero Energy by 45.3% during the first quarter. Amundi now owns 2,584,976 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $638,695,000 after purchasing an additional 806,018 shares during the period. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC boosted its holdings in Valero Energy by 33.9% in the second quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 2,058,341 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $536,074,000 after purchasing an additional 520,642 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other 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: Higher refining margins are raising expectations for Valero’s third-quarter performance. As a major independent petroleum refiner, VLO could benefit from improved crack spreads and stronger profitability in its core refining business. Valero Energy's Q3 Earnings Approach: Higher Refining Margins Fuel Optimism
• Positive Sentiment: Valero’s recent momentum has attracted attention from investors. The stock had gained 2.53% over the prior week, reflecting expectations that the earnings report could benefit from favorable refining conditions. Valero Energy Is Up 2.53% in One Week
• Neutral Sentiment: Wall Street is focusing not only on revenue and earnings, but also on key operating metrics expected with the third-quarter results. The report could determine whether the recent rally is supported by fundamentals. Insights Into Valero Energy Q3: Wall Street Projections for Key Metrics
• Neutral Sentiment: The company’s earnings announcement is the immediate focus for traders, increasing the likelihood of heightened volatility around the release. Valero previously reported a strong quarter, with earnings and revenue exceeding expectations, which sets a high bar for another upside surprise.
• Negative Sentiment: A report indicated that Valero shares fell 1.80% amid the run-up to the scheduled results, suggesting some profit-taking or caution ahead of the announcement. Investors may also be concerned that favorable refining-margin expectations are already reflected in the stock. Valero Energy Scheduled Results
• Negative Sentiment: Geopolitical disruptions have contributed to higher diesel costs, creating potential pressure on fuel consumers and operating expenses. The proposed $8 billion farmer relief program could cushion diesel demand, but it also underscores continued energy-market instability. Trump Announces $8B Bailout for Farmers

Analysts Set New Price Targets

VLO has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Bank of America lifted their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $395.00 to $414.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, October 2nd. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Valero Energy from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 4th. Weiss Ratings raised Valero Energy from a "buy (b)" rating to a "buy (b+)" rating in a report on Thursday, October 8th. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on Valero Energy from $255.00 to $411.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Monday, September 14th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on Valero Energy from $389.00 to $485.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 14th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $382.62.

Valero Energy Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:VLO opened at $436.56 on Thursday. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $389.82 and its 200-day moving average price is $308.10. Valero Energy Corporation has a twelve month low of $156.26 and a twelve month high of $461.52. The company has a quick ratio of 1.23, a current ratio of 1.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37. The stock has a market capitalization of $125.70 billion, a PE ratio of 18.11, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.27 and a beta of 0.59.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 30th. The oil and gas company reported $12.54 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $10.11 by $2.43. The company had revenue of $44.48 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $39.47 billion. Valero Energy had a net margin of 5.17% and a return on equity of 26.74%. The firm's revenue was up 48.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.28 earnings per share. Equities research analysts expect that Valero Energy Corporation will post 52.55 EPS for the current year.

Valero Energy Profile

Valero Energy Corporation is an international energy company headquartered in San Antonio, Texas. The company's primary business is refining and marketing transportation fuels, including gasoline, diesel, jet fuel and other products used by commercial, industrial and consumer customers.

Valero operates refineries in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom. Its refining operations also produce asphalt, petrochemical feedstocks and other petroleum-based products. The company markets fuel through wholesale channels and branded retail networks, including Valero, Beacon and Shamrock-branded locations.

In addition to conventional refining, Valero has businesses focused on renewable fuels.

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