Valero Energy Corporation $VLO Shares Sold by Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI

Key Points

• Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI cut its Valero Energy stake by 82.1% in the first quarter, leaving it with 1,831 shares worth about $452,000. The filing adds to a broader pattern of institutional ownership shifts, though institutions still hold most of the stock.
• Analyst sentiment has improved, with Goldman Sachs raising its price target to $357 and TD Cowen lifting its target to $338. Several other firms also recently adjusted targets upward, while the overall consensus remains a Moderate Buy.
• Valero posted strong quarterly results, reporting $4.22 in EPS versus $3.16 expected and revenue of $32.38 billion, up 7% year over year. The company also declared a quarterly dividend of $1.20 per share, payable August 31, for an annualized yield of about 1.5%.

Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI trimmed its position in shares of Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO - Free Report) by 82.1% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 1,831 shares of the oil and gas company's stock after selling 8,403 shares during the quarter. Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI's holdings in Valero Energy were worth $452,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Legacy Wealth Managment LLC ID grew its stake in Valero Energy by 80.6% in the 1st quarter. Legacy Wealth Managment LLC ID now owns 168 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $42,000 after acquiring an additional 75 shares during the last quarter. Florida Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Valero Energy during the first quarter worth about $378,000. Alta Advisers Ltd acquired a new position in Valero Energy during the first quarter worth about $282,000. AlTi Global Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 164.6% in the first quarter. AlTi Global Inc. now owns 12,883 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $3,183,000 after purchasing an additional 8,015 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Commonwealth Financial Services LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 20.1% in the first quarter. Commonwealth Financial Services LLC now owns 1,745 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $431,000 after purchasing an additional 292 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.69% of the company's stock.

Valero Energy News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Goldman Sachs raised Valero Energy’s price target to $357 from $286 and kept a buy rating, signaling meaningful upside from current levels. Benzinga article
• Positive Sentiment: TD Cowen also lifted its price target on Valero to $338 from $292, reinforcing improving Street sentiment on the stock. Benzinga article
• Positive Sentiment: A recent comparison of Valero vs. Cenovus Energy argued that VLO’s refining advantage and near-term upside make it the more attractive energy stock right now. Yahoo Finance article
• Neutral Sentiment: Another article echoed the same Valero vs. Cenovus comparison, but it was more of an opinion/research piece than a new operational update for VLO. Zacks article
• Neutral Sentiment: Zacks also published a long-term growth article naming Valero as a top growth stock, which is supportive but not a direct catalyst. Zacks article

Insider Buying and Selling at Valero Energy

In other Valero Energy news, SVP Eric A. Fisher sold 7,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, June 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $268.17, for a total transaction of $2,011,275.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 19,742 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,294,212.14. This represents a 27.53% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. 0.36% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

VLO has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. UBS Group reissued a "buy" rating and set a $280.00 price objective on shares of Valero Energy in a research note on Thursday, June 11th. Scotiabank upped their target price on Valero Energy from $178.00 to $226.00 and gave the company a "sector outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 22nd. Zacks Research cut Valero Energy from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, June 22nd. Barclays raised their price target on Valero Energy from $261.00 to $279.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 1st. Finally, TD Cowen boosted their price target on Valero Energy from $292.00 to $338.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating, nine have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $262.82.

Valero Energy Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE VLO opened at $310.90 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $92.32 billion, a PE ratio of 22.59, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.38 and a beta of 0.55. Valero Energy Corporation has a 12 month low of $130.78 and a 12 month high of $320.24. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a current ratio of 1.58 and a quick ratio of 1.15. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $262.98 and a 200-day simple moving average of $232.93.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The oil and gas company reported $4.22 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $3.16 by $1.06. The business had revenue of $32.38 billion during 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 company's revenue was up 7.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.89 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Valero Energy Corporation will post 32.61 earnings per share for the current year.

Valero Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 31st will be issued a $1.20 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 31st. This represents a $4.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.5%. Valero Energy's payout ratio is 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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