Private Management Group Inc. Sells 7,265 Shares of Valero Energy Corporation $VLO

Private Management Group Inc. lessened its stake in shares of Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO) by 2.0% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 365,264 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 7,265 shares during the period. Valero Energy comprises approximately 1.9% of Private Management Group Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 4th largest holding. Private Management Group Inc.’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $62,190,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Highline Wealth Partners LLC increased its position in shares of Valero Energy by 70.2% during the 3rd quarter. Highline Wealth Partners LLC now owns 160 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 66 shares during the last quarter. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates bought a new stake in shares of Valero Energy during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $34,000. Cypress Capital Management LLC WY acquired a new stake in shares of Valero Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. grew its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 145.3% in the third quarter. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 211 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $36,000 after buying an additional 125 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Evolution Wealth Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Valero Energy in the second quarter valued at $43,000. 78.69% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Valero Energy news, SVP Eric A. Fisher sold 8,311 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $227.69, for a total value of $1,892,331.59. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 42,242 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $9,618,080.98. This represents a 16.44% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.04% 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: Goldman Sachs raised its price target to $237 and kept a Buy rating, offering a near-term catalyst and institutional endorsement that can support the share price. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Valero increased its quarterly dividend to $1.20 (annualized $4.80), which strengthens the income argument for the stock and can attract yield-focused buyers. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Notable institutional accumulation has been reported (several funds adding positions), signalling conviction from longer-term investors in a refining recovery. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts are revising fair-value assumptions (example fair value moved to ~$202.72), producing mixed calls — some firms lift targets, others trim them depending on refining/crude assumptions. This creates divergent analyst signals rather than a clear consensus catalyst. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Several investor-attention and dividend-themed write-ups (Zacks/Yahoo) are increasing visibility; helpful for flows but not a direct fundamental change. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling: SVP Eric A. Fisher disclosed sizable sales this week (8,311 shares at ~ $227.69 and an additional 400 shares at ~$238.60). Large insider disposals can spook short-term sentiment even though he retains a substantial holding. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Policy risk: reports that the White House is considering a temporary Jones Act waiver to ease fuel shipping could, if enacted, lower domestic fuel prices and compress refiners’ margins — a material industry risk for Valero. Read More.

Valero Energy Trading Down 2.2%

Shares of Valero Energy stock opened at $230.57 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a current ratio of 1.64 and a quick ratio of 1.11. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $197.83 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $177.61. Valero Energy Corporation has a 1 year low of $99.00 and a 1 year high of $240.27. The company has a market capitalization of $68.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.18, a P/E/G ratio of 1.20 and a beta of 0.70.

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

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 9th. Investors of record on Thursday, February 5th were paid a $1.20 dividend. This is an increase 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 dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 62.83%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Argus upgraded shares of Valero Energy to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Bank of America reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $195.00 price objective (down from $198.00) on shares of Valero Energy in a research report on Thursday, December 11th. Barclays boosted their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $169.00 to $184.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, November 17th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Valero Energy in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, February 7th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating and ten have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Valero Energy presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $193.20.

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.