Bollard Group LLC Buys 3,018 Shares of Valero Energy Corporation $VLO

Bollard Group LLC grew its stake in shares of Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO) by 4.9% in the third quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 65,222 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after buying an additional 3,018 shares during the quarter. Bollard Group LLC’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $11,105,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Waddell & Associates LLC raised its holdings in Valero Energy by 2.8% during the 3rd quarter. Waddell & Associates LLC now owns 2,040 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $347,000 after buying an additional 56 shares during the last quarter. DSG Capital Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Valero Energy by 1.6% in the 3rd quarter. DSG Capital Advisors LLC now owns 3,803 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $647,000 after acquiring an additional 60 shares during the last quarter. Cypress Capital Group grew its holdings in Valero Energy by 0.3% in the 3rd quarter. Cypress Capital Group now owns 18,786 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $3,199,000 after acquiring an additional 63 shares during the last quarter. Private Trust Co. NA increased its position in shares of Valero Energy by 2.0% in the third quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 3,381 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $576,000 after acquiring an additional 65 shares during the period. Finally, Becker Capital Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 0.6% during the third quarter. Becker Capital Management Inc. now owns 11,837 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $2,015,000 after acquiring an additional 65 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Valero Energy

In related 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 transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.04% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Valero Energy Stock Down 2.2%

NYSE:VLO 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 firm’s 50-day moving average price is $197.83 and its 200-day moving average price is $177.83. The company has a market capitalization of $68.95 billion, a PE ratio of 30.18, a P/E/G ratio of 1.18 and a beta of 0.70. Valero Energy Corporation has a 1-year low of $99.00 and a 1-year high of $240.27.

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

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

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

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.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently issued reports on VLO. UBS Group reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Valero Energy in a research note on Tuesday, January 6th. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on Valero Energy from $175.00 to $180.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 27th. Piper Sandler increased their price objective on Valero Energy from $217.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, January 30th. Citigroup lifted their price objective on Valero Energy from $190.00 to $212.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, February 9th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Valero Energy in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating and ten have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Valero Energy has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price 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.