Valero Energy Corporation $VLO Shares Sold by NewEdge Wealth LLC

Key Points

• NewEdge Wealth LLC cut its Valero Energy stake by 33.4% in the first quarter, selling 4,597 shares and leaving it with 9,167 shares valued at about $2.27 million.
• Valero reported stronger-than-expected quarterly results, with EPS of $4.22 beating estimates by $1.06 and revenue of $32.38 billion topping forecasts. Revenue also rose 7% year over year.
• Analysts remain generally bullish on VLO, with several firms raising price targets and Piper Sandler reiterating an overweight rating; the stock also carries a regular quarterly dividend of $1.20 per share.

NewEdge Wealth LLC decreased its holdings in shares of Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO - Free Report) by 33.4% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 9,167 shares of the oil and gas company's stock after selling 4,597 shares during the quarter. NewEdge Wealth LLC's holdings in Valero Energy were worth $2,265,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Beacon Investment Advisory Services Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 33.5% in the 4th quarter. Beacon Investment Advisory Services Inc. now owns 42,376 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $6,898,000 after purchasing an additional 10,634 shares during the last quarter. Friedenthal Financial acquired a new stake in shares of Valero Energy during the 4th quarter worth $954,000. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. raised its position in shares of Valero Energy by 24.7% in the 4th quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. now owns 565,171 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $92,004,000 after buying an additional 112,118 shares during the period. Whittier Trust Co. raised its position in shares of Valero Energy by 2.8% in the 4th quarter. Whittier Trust Co. now owns 212,104 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $37,812,000 after buying an additional 5,694 shares during the period. Finally, V Square Quantitative Management LLC acquired a new position in Valero Energy in the fourth quarter valued at $1,079,000. 78.69% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Trending Headlines about Valero Energy

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

• Positive Sentiment: Goldman Sachs raised its price target on Valero Energy to $357 from a prior level, reinforcing a bullish view and suggesting additional upside from current levels. The Goldman Sachs Group Increases Valero Energy NYSE: VLO Price Target to $357.00
• Positive Sentiment: Piper Sandler reaffirmed its overweight rating and set a $329 price target, signaling continued confidence in Valero’s refining business and valuation. Valero Energy had its "overweight" rating reaffirmed by Piper Sandler
• Positive Sentiment: Valero’s board affirmed its regular quarterly dividend of $1.20 per share, which supports the stock’s appeal for income-focused investors and may be contributing to recent momentum. Valero Energy (VLO) Eyes Earnings And Crude Supply Shifts, Is The Stock Fully Priced?
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks highlighted Valero as a strong momentum stock, reflecting technical strength that can attract traders and trend-following investors. Here's Why Valero Energy (VLO) is a Strong Momentum Stock
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts expect Valero’s earnings to grow when it reports next week, but Zacks also said the setup does not look especially favorable for an earnings beat, creating a mixed near-term outlook. Valero Energy (VLO) Earnings Expected to Grow: What to Know Ahead of Next Week's Release
• Neutral Sentiment: Valero was noted to be attracting unusually high investor attention on Zacks, which indicates rising interest but does not by itself change the fundamentals. Valero Energy Corporation (VLO) is Attracting Investor Attention: Here is What You Should Know
• Negative Sentiment: One report said Valero underperformed peers on Thursday, suggesting some short-term profit-taking or relative weakness versus other refiners. Valero Energy Corp. stock underperforms Thursday when compared to competitors

Valero Energy Price Performance

VLO stock opened at $302.48 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a current ratio of 1.58. Valero Energy Corporation has a 1 year low of $130.78 and a 1 year high of $320.24. The firm has a market cap of $89.81 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.98, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.20 and a beta of 0.55. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $265.22 and a 200-day simple moving average of $234.39.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO - Get Free Report) last announced 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 business had revenue of $32.38 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $31.38 billion. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 15.94% and a net margin of 3.37%.The company's revenue was up 7.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.89 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that Valero Energy Corporation will post 36.46 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, July 31st will be given a dividend of $1.20 per share. This represents a $4.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, July 31st. Valero Energy's payout ratio is presently 34.88%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have commented on VLO shares. BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on Valero Energy from $230.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, April 6th. Scotiabank lifted their price objective 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. Barclays boosted their target price on Valero Energy from $261.00 to $279.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 1st. Piper Sandler reissued an "overweight" rating and set a $329.00 target price on shares of Valero Energy in a research report on Thursday. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $220.00 to $292.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 31st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating, eight have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $266.71.

Insider Activity at Valero Energy

In other news, SVP Eric A. Fisher sold 7,500 shares of the company'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 completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 19,742 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,294,212.14. This represents a 27.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 0.36% of the company's stock.

Valero Energy 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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