Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) SVP Eric Fisher Sells 8,311 Shares

Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO) SVP Eric Fisher sold 8,311 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $227.69, for a total transaction of $1,892,331.59. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 42,242 shares in the company, valued at $9,618,080.98. This represents a 16.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link.

Valero Energy Price Performance

Shares of Valero Energy stock traded down $3.57 during trading on Friday, hitting $232.24. 1,595,408 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,606,684. Valero Energy Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $99.00 and a fifty-two week high of $240.27. The company has a quick ratio of 1.11, a current ratio of 1.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $196.53 and a 200 day moving average price of $177.04. The stock has a market capitalization of $69.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.37, a P/E/G ratio of 1.18 and a beta of 0.70.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The oil and gas company reported $3.82 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.27 by $0.55. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 12.35% and a net margin of 1.91%.The firm had revenue of $30.37 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $28.20 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.64 EPS. Valero Energy’s quarterly revenue was down 1.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts expect that Valero Energy Corporation will post 7.92 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 9th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, February 5th were issued a $1.20 dividend. This is a positive change from Valero Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.13. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 5th. This represents a $4.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.1%. Valero Energy’s payout ratio is currently 62.83%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Valero Energy in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. UBS Group reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Valero Energy in a report on Tuesday, January 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on Valero Energy from $197.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Zacks Research cut Valero Energy from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their target price on Valero Energy from $175.00 to $180.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 27th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating and ten have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $193.20.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Valero Energy

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. JPL Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Valero Energy in the 3rd quarter worth $27,000. Highline Wealth Partners LLC grew its position in Valero Energy by 70.2% during the third quarter. Highline Wealth Partners LLC now owns 160 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 66 shares during the period. Torren Management LLC acquired a new stake in Valero Energy during the fourth quarter worth about $30,000. AXS Investments LLC purchased a new position in shares of Valero Energy in the 4th quarter worth about $32,000. Finally, Global Wealth Strategies & Associates purchased a new position in shares of Valero Energy in the 3rd quarter worth about $34,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting Valero Energy

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

• Positive Sentiment: Goldman Sachs raised its price target to $237 and maintained a “buy” rating, signaling confidence in Valero’s near-term outlook and providing upside support for the stock. Goldman Sachs price target raise (Benzinga)
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst/market commentary shows institutional money moving into U.S. refiners and earnings strength for the group, a tailwind for Valero given its large refining footprint. Refiners are quiet winners (247WallStreet)
• Positive Sentiment: Coverage highlighting Valero as an attractive dividend stock may draw income-focused buyers and support share demand. Dividend thesis (Zacks)
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts’ fair-value estimates were nudged (e.g., a shift to ~$202.72) with mixed revisions across firms — this produces both upside cases and cautious calls depending on refining/crude assumptions. Analyst fair-value revisions (Yahoo)
• Neutral Sentiment: General investor attention pieces (Zacks/Yahoo) increase visibility and volume but don’t by themselves change fundamentals. Investor attention (Yahoo)
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling: SVP Eric A. Fisher disclosed sales of 8,311 shares (avg ~$227.69) and 400 shares (avg ~$238.60) this week. Large insider dispositions can spook some investors even if filings show meaningful remaining ownership. SEC filing (Form 4)
• Negative Sentiment: White House consideration of a temporary Jones Act waiver to ease fuel shipping could reduce U.S. gasoline and diesel prices — a potential downward pressure on refiners’ margins and revenue if enacted. Jones Act waiver discussion (Yahoo)

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.