Valero Energy Corporation $VLO Shares Sold by Carlson Financial Inc.

Key Points

• Carlson Financial cut its Valero Energy position by 44.6% in the second quarter, selling 2,820 shares and retaining 3,509 shares valued at approximately $915,000. Institutional investors collectively own 78.69% of Valero’s stock.
• Senior Vice President Eric Fisher sold 7,500 shares for roughly $2.01 million, reducing his position by 27.53%; corporate insiders own 0.36% of the company.
• Valero reported quarterly earnings of $12.54 per share, beating estimates by $2.43, while revenue rose 48.8% year over year to $44.48 billion. The company maintains a $1.20 quarterly dividend, equivalent to a 1.3% yield, and analysts hold a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating.

Carlson Financial Inc. lessened its position in Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO - Free Report) by 44.6% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 3,509 shares of the oil and gas company's stock after selling 2,820 shares during the period. Carlson Financial Inc.'s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $915,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. V Square Quantitative Management LLC boosted its position in Valero Energy by 0.6% during the first quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 6,670 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $1,648,000 after acquiring an additional 42 shares during the last quarter. M.E. Allison & CO. Inc. raised its holdings in Valero Energy by 5.8% in the 2nd quarter. M.E. Allison & CO. Inc. now owns 916 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $239,000 after acquiring an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. Ridgecrest Wealth Partners LLC lifted its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 5.0% during the 2nd quarter. Ridgecrest Wealth Partners LLC now owns 1,054 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $275,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the period. CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC lifted its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 5.5% during the 4th quarter. CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC now owns 975 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $159,000 after purchasing an additional 51 shares during the period. Finally, Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 32.9% during the fourth quarter. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC now owns 206 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 51 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.69% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at Valero Energy

In other news, SVP Eric Fisher sold 7,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction 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 owned 19,742 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,294,212.14. This trade represents a 27.53% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 0.36% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Valero Energy Stock Performance

Valero Energy stock opened at $370.94 on Monday. The stock's 50-day moving average is $315.25 and its 200-day moving average is $265.31. The company has a market cap of $106.80 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.39, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.42 and a beta of 0.57. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37, a current ratio of 1.64 and a quick ratio of 1.23. Valero Energy Corporation has a 12 month low of $153.20 and a 12 month high of $375.11.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 30th. The oil and gas company reported $12.54 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $10.11 by $2.43. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 26.74% and a net margin of 5.17%.The business had revenue of $44.48 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $39.47 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.28 EPS. The company's revenue was up 48.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts anticipate that Valero Energy Corporation will post 41.15 earnings per share for the current year.

Valero Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, August 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 31st were given a dividend of $1.20 per share. This represents a $4.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, July 31st. Valero Energy's payout ratio is 19.92%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

VLO has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group set a $350.00 price objective on Valero Energy in a research report on Monday, August 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on Valero Energy from $356.00 to $389.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 1st. Piper Sandler lifted their price target on Valero Energy from $329.00 to $435.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday. Barclays upped their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $279.00 to $323.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, July 31st. Finally, UBS Group increased their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $280.00 to $355.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, July 31st. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Valero Energy presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $296.18.

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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