Valero Energy Corporation $VLO Stock Position Reduced by Applied Finance Capital Management LLC

Key Points

• Applied Finance Capital Management reduced its Valero Energy stake by 19% in the fourth quarter, selling 21,845 shares and leaving it with 93,338 shares valued at about $15.2 million.
• Valero shares were up 2.3% to $250.34, near the stock’s 52-week high, as the company continues to trade well above its longer-term moving averages.
• Valero reported better-than-expected Q1 results, with EPS of $4.22 versus estimates of $3.16, and it also announced a quarterly dividend of $1.20 per share payable June 23.

Applied Finance Capital Management LLC cut its stake in shares of Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO - Free Report) by 19.0% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 93,338 shares of the oil and gas company's stock after selling 21,845 shares during the period. Applied Finance Capital Management LLC's holdings in Valero Energy were worth $15,194,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. JPL Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Valero Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at $27,000. Torren Management LLC bought a new position in Valero Energy during the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. Cypress Capital Management LLC WY bought a new position in Valero Energy during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $34,000. Triumph Capital Management acquired a new stake in Valero Energy during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $35,000. Finally, Accordant Advisory Group Inc raised its holdings in Valero Energy by 194.4% during the 4th quarter. Accordant Advisory Group Inc now owns 212 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $35,000 after buying an additional 140 shares during the period. 78.69% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Valero Energy Trading Up 2.3%

Shares of VLO opened at $250.34 on Friday. The business has a 50-day moving average of $238.98 and a 200 day moving average of $201.68. Valero Energy Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $125.10 and a fifty-two week high of $258.43. The firm has a market cap of $74.33 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.19, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.34 and a beta of 0.58. 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 (NYSE:VLO - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The oil and gas company reported $4.22 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.16 by $1.06. The company had revenue of $32.38 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $31.38 billion. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 15.94% and a net margin of 3.37%.The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 7.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.89 EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that Valero Energy Corporation will post 28.18 EPS for the current year.

Valero Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 23rd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 21st 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 1.9%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 21st. Valero Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 34.88%.

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 that occurred on Thursday, March 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $238.60, for a total value of $95,440.00. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 0.36% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Valero Energy News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Scotiabank raised its earnings estimates for Valero Energy, lifting FY2026 EPS to $27.10 from $25.85 and FY2027 EPS to $26.15 from $24.80, while keeping a Sector Outperform rating and a $226 target price. Scotiabank estimate update
• Positive Sentiment: Several recent writeups highlighted Valero’s refining flexibility, higher export volumes, and strong margins, saying tight global fuel supply continues to support profitability and has helped drive the stock’s strong year-long outperformance. Yahoo Finance article
• Positive Sentiment: Market commentary also pointed to a historic SPR-related pricing dislocation creating an arbitrage opportunity for refiners like Valero, which could support near-term refining economics. MarketBeat article
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst-target articles suggest Wall Street remains moderately optimistic, but they do not add a new catalyst beyond the already favorable refining backdrop. Barchart article

Analyst Ratings Changes

VLO has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Raymond James Financial lifted their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $215.00 to $290.00 and gave the company a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, March 25th. Barclays upped their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $184.00 to $261.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 8th. Scotiabank upped their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $178.00 to $226.00 and gave the stock a "sector outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 22nd. TD Cowen raised their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $255.00 to $276.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, May 4th. Finally, Wolfe Research reissued an "underperform" rating and set a $203.00 target price on shares of Valero Energy in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $237.94.

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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