Erste Asset Management GmbH Boosts Position in Valero Energy Corporation $VLO

Erste Asset Management GmbH boosted its position in shares of Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO) by 59.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 166,560 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after acquiring an additional 62,410 shares during the quarter. Erste Asset Management GmbH’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $27,325,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of VLO. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Valero Energy during the fourth quarter valued at $1,111,542,000. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership purchased a new stake in Valero Energy during the third quarter valued at $275,239,000. Pacer Advisors Inc. increased its position in Valero Energy by 2,635.7% during the fourth quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 950,527 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $154,736,000 after acquiring an additional 915,782 shares during the last quarter. Life Cycle Investment Partners Ltd purchased a new stake in Valero Energy during the fourth quarter valued at $46,854,000. Finally, Eurizon Capital SGR S.p.A. purchased a new stake in Valero Energy during the fourth quarter valued at $41,855,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors 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: 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

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, SVP Eric A. Fisher sold 8,311 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $227.69, for a total transaction of $1,892,331.59. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 42,242 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $9,618,080.98. This represents a 16.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 0.36% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts recently commented on VLO shares. UBS Group upped their price objective on Valero Energy from $215.00 to $280.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 2nd. TD Cowen boosted their price target on Valero Energy from $255.00 to $276.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, May 4th. Zacks Research raised Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. Barclays boosted their price target on Valero Energy from $184.00 to $261.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 8th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price target on Valero Energy from $203.00 to $237.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, March 12th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $243.65.

Valero Energy Stock Performance

NYSE VLO opened at $256.03 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $76.02 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.61, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.38 and a beta of 0.55. The company has a quick ratio of 1.15, a current ratio of 1.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $244.66 and a 200-day moving average price of $210.01. Valero Energy Corporation has a twelve month low of $127.83 and a twelve month high of $265.61.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The oil and gas company reported $4.22 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.16 by $1.06. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 15.94% and a net margin of 3.37%.The firm had revenue of $32.38 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $31.38 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.89 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 7.0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Valero Energy Corporation will post 26.51 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 23rd. Investors of record on Thursday, May 21st will be paid a dividend of $1.20 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 21st. This represents a $4.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.9%. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 34.88%.

Valero Energy Company 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.