Valero Energy Corporation $VLO Shares Sold by Aquatic Capital Management LLC

Key Points

• Aquatic Capital trimmed its stake in Valero by 27.7% in Q3, selling 30,304 shares and leaving it with 79,127 shares worth about $13.47 million, while overall institutional ownership remains high at ~78.7% with several funds adding positions.
• Company insider SVP Eric A. Fisher disclosed recent sales (400 shares at $238.60, following larger disposals), a development that could pressure short‑term sentiment despite insiders owning only ~0.04%.
• Valero raised its quarterly dividend to $1.20 (annualized $4.80, ~2.1% yield) and reported a quarterly EPS beat ($3.82 vs. $3.27) as analysts keep a "Moderate Buy" consensus and Goldman Sachs lifted its price target to $237.

Aquatic Capital Management LLC decreased its holdings in Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO - Free Report) by 27.7% in the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 79,127 shares of the oil and gas company's stock after selling 30,304 shares during the quarter. Aquatic Capital Management LLC's holdings in Valero Energy were worth $13,472,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Creative Planning grew its stake in Valero Energy by 3.7% in the 3rd quarter. Creative Planning now owns 107,547 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $18,311,000 after acquiring an additional 3,816 shares during the period. SummitTX Capital L.P. acquired a new stake in shares of Valero Energy in the third quarter valued at about $886,000. Credit Agricole S A acquired a new position in shares of Valero Energy during the 3rd quarter worth about $10,758,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. lifted its stake in Valero Energy by 2.3% in the 3rd quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. now owns 1,007,335 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $171,509,000 after buying an additional 22,322 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Financial Sense Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in Valero Energy in the 3rd quarter worth about $341,000. 78.69% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at Valero Energy

In other Valero Energy news, SVP Eric A. Fisher sold 400 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $238.60, for a total value of $95,440.00. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.04% of the company's stock.

Valero Energy Price Performance

Shares of VLO stock opened at $230.57 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a current ratio of 1.64 and a quick ratio of 1.11. The company has a market capitalization of $68.95 billion, a PE ratio of 30.18, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.18 and a beta of 0.70. The firm's 50-day moving average is $197.83 and its two-hundred day moving average is $177.83. Valero Energy Corporation has a 12 month low of $99.00 and a 12 month high of $240.27.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The oil and gas company reported $3.82 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.27 by $0.55. The firm had revenue of $30.37 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $28.20 billion. Valero Energy had a net margin of 1.91% and a return on equity of 12.35%. The business's revenue for the quarter was down 1.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.64 EPS. Analysts predict that Valero Energy Corporation will post 7.92 earnings per share for the current year.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 9th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, February 5th were issued a dividend of $1.20 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 5th. This represents a $4.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.1%. This is a boost from Valero Energy's previous quarterly dividend of $1.13. Valero Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 62.83%.

More Valero Energy News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Goldman Sachs raised its price target to $237 and kept a Buy rating, offering a near-term catalyst and institutional endorsement that can support the share price. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Valero increased its quarterly dividend to $1.20 (annualized $4.80), which strengthens the income argument for the stock and can attract yield-focused buyers. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Notable institutional accumulation has been reported (several funds adding positions), signalling conviction from longer-term investors in a refining recovery. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts are revising fair-value assumptions (example fair value moved to ~$202.72), producing mixed calls — some firms lift targets, others trim them depending on refining/crude assumptions. This creates divergent analyst signals rather than a clear consensus catalyst. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Several investor-attention and dividend-themed write-ups (Zacks/Yahoo) are increasing visibility; helpful for flows but not a direct fundamental change. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling: SVP Eric A. Fisher disclosed sizable sales this week (8,311 shares at ~ $227.69 and an additional 400 shares at ~$238.60). Large insider disposals can spook short-term sentiment even though he retains a substantial holding. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Policy risk: reports that the White House is considering a temporary Jones Act waiver to ease fuel shipping could, if enacted, lower domestic fuel prices and compress refiners' margins — a material industry risk for Valero. Read More.

Analyst Ratings Changes

VLO has been the topic of several research reports. Argus upgraded Valero Energy to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Valero Energy from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, February 7th. UBS Group reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of Valero Energy in a research report on Tuesday, January 6th. Weiss Ratings restated a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Valero Energy in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Finally, Zacks Research downgraded shares of Valero Energy from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating and ten have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Valero Energy currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $193.20.

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.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding VLO? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO - Free Report).

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.