Vestcor Inc Decreases Holdings in Valero Energy Corporation $VLO

Key Points

• Vestcor Inc reduced its Valero Energy stake by 59.6% in the fourth quarter, selling 19,282 shares and leaving it with 13,061 shares worth about $2.13 million.
• Valero reported a strong quarter, posting $4.22 EPS versus the $3.16 consensus and revenue of $32.38 billion, with revenue up 7% year over year.
• The company also announced a quarterly dividend of $1.20 per share, equal to a 1.9% annualized yield, while analysts remain generally constructive with an average rating of Moderate Buy.

Vestcor Inc cut its holdings in shares of Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO - Free Report) by 59.6% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 13,061 shares of the oil and gas company's stock after selling 19,282 shares during the quarter. Vestcor Inc's holdings in Valero Energy were worth $2,126,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. MCF Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Valero Energy by 18.6% during the 4th quarter. MCF Advisors LLC now owns 1,007 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $164,000 after purchasing an additional 158 shares during the last quarter. Invst LLC increased its position in shares of Valero Energy by 3.2% during the 4th quarter. Invst LLC now owns 1,865 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $304,000 after purchasing an additional 57 shares during the last quarter. BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S increased its position in shares of Valero Energy by 0.5% during the 4th quarter. BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S now owns 15,285 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $2,488,000 after purchasing an additional 82 shares during the last quarter. OneAscent Wealth Management LLC increased its position in shares of Valero Energy by 3.3% during the 4th quarter. OneAscent Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,285 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $372,000 after purchasing an additional 74 shares during the last quarter. Finally, OneAscent Financial Services LLC increased its position in shares of Valero Energy by 16.5% during the 4th quarter. OneAscent Financial Services LLC now owns 3,297 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $537,000 after purchasing an additional 466 shares during the last quarter. 78.69% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Valero Energy news, SVP Eric A. Fisher sold 400 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated 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 filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Company insiders own 0.36% of the company's stock.

Key Stories Impacting Valero Energy

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

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks highlighted Valero as one of the best low-beta stocks to buy right away, pointing to recent gains, solid trading volume, and the appeal of defensive energy exposure amid market volatility. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Another Zacks note said cleaner transportation fuels are powering Valero’s growth, citing expansion in renewable diesel, sustainable aviation fuel, and ethanol as longer-term cash flow drivers. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Valero was also featured as a strong value and growth name, with Zacks assigning it favorable rankings that may reinforce investor confidence in the stock’s earnings and valuation profile. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Valero’s refining strength was emphasized again in a Zacks article arguing that high oil prices should not fully derail margins because of tight global refining capacity and low fuel inventories. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Multiple headlines noted that Valero recently hit a 52-week high and has outperformed the Nasdaq over the past year, suggesting strong momentum and supportive fundamentals. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: One article discussed whether VLO’s run can continue after reaching a 52-week high, but it mainly framed the question around existing fundamentals rather than delivering a clear new catalyst. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: A Yahoo Finance piece flagged possible bearish signals from insider stock sales over the past year, which could temper enthusiasm if investors focus on governance or insider sentiment. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Seeking Alpha argued Valero may be a great business but at the wrong price, implying valuation could be a headwind after the stock’s strong run. Article Title

Valero Energy Trading Up 0.1%

Shares of VLO opened at $256.03 on Monday. The business has a 50-day moving average of $244.66 and a 200 day moving average of $210.01. Valero Energy Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $127.83 and a fifty-two week high of $265.61. The firm has a market cap of $76.02 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.61, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.38 and a beta of 0.55. 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. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 15.94% and a net margin of 3.37%.The company had revenue of $32.38 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $31.38 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.89 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 7.0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts forecast that Valero Energy Corporation will post 26.51 EPS for the current year.

Valero Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 23rd. Investors of record on Thursday, May 21st will be issued a $1.20 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 21st. This represents a $4.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.9%. Valero Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 34.88%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on VLO shares. Piper Sandler raised their target price on Valero Energy from $236.00 to $263.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 8th. Weiss Ratings raised Valero Energy from a "hold (c)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research report on Monday, May 4th. UBS Group raised their target price on Valero Energy from $215.00 to $280.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 2nd. Wall Street Zen raised Valero Energy from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Saturday, April 4th. Finally, Citigroup lifted their price objective on Valero Energy from $246.00 to $259.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, May 1st. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $243.65.

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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