Valero Energy Corporation $VLO Position Raised by Principal Financial Group Inc.

Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO) by 1.5% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 355,331 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after acquiring an additional 5,385 shares during the quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. owned about 0.12% of Valero Energy worth $87,795,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of VLO. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Valero Energy during the 4th quarter valued at about $1,111,542,000. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership acquired a new position in shares of Valero Energy during the third quarter worth approximately $275,239,000. Pacer Advisors Inc. boosted its position in shares of 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 worth $154,736,000 after buying an additional 915,782 shares during the period. Victory Capital Management Inc. grew its holdings in Valero Energy by 49.3% in the 4th quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 1,696,811 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $276,224,000 after buying an additional 560,116 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. grew its holdings in Valero Energy by 7.5% in the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 5,668,210 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $922,728,000 after buying an additional 394,693 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Valero Energy Stock Down 2.7%

VLO opened at $293.27 on Thursday. Valero Energy Corporation has a one year low of $130.78 and a one year high of $301.43. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a current ratio of 1.58. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $256.30 and its 200-day moving average is $227.80. The company has a market capitalization of $87.08 billion, a PE ratio of 21.31, a P/E/G ratio of 0.37 and a beta of 0.55.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The oil and gas company reported $4.22 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.16 by $1.06. The business had revenue of $32.38 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $31.38 billion. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 15.94% and a net margin of 3.37%.The company’s quarterly revenue was up 7.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.89 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts predict that Valero Energy Corporation will post 32.04 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 23rd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 21st were given a dividend of $1.20 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, May 21st. This represents a $4.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.6%. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 34.88%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

VLO has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. UBS Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $280.00 target price on shares of Valero Energy in a research note on Thursday, June 11th. Scotiabank increased their price target on Valero Energy from $178.00 to $226.00 and gave the stock a “sector outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 22nd. Raymond James Financial lifted their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $300.00 to $340.00 and gave the company a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday. Piper Sandler upped their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $236.00 to $263.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 8th. Finally, Mizuho increased their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $222.00 to $289.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 27th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Valero Energy currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $253.06.

Insider Buying and Selling at Valero Energy

In other news, SVP Eric A. Fisher sold 7,500 shares of Valero Energy stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $268.17, for a total value of $2,011,275.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 19,742 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,294,212.14. The trade was a 27.53% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Company insiders own 0.36% of the company’s stock.

Valero Energy News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Analyst sentiment improved after Citigroup raised its price target on Valero Energy from $259 to $302 while keeping a neutral rating, and the stock also hit a new 52-week high after the upgrade.
• Positive Sentiment: Recent reports say Valero shares may keep rising because earnings estimate revisions have turned more favorable, which often supports short-term upside for the stock. Can Valero Energy (VLO) Run Higher on Rising Earnings Estimates?
• Positive Sentiment: Momentum-focused coverage noted that Valero is up strongly over the past week, reinforcing the view that traders are rotating into the name. Valero Energy (VLO) Is Up 4.83% in One Week: What You Should Know
• Positive Sentiment: One article described Valero as a top-ranked value stock, which may help attract value-oriented investors looking for relatively cheap energy names. Valero Energy (VLO) is a Top-Ranked Value Stock: Should You Buy?
• Neutral Sentiment: Valero’s recent earnings results were already strong, with revenue and EPS beating expectations, but that data is not new; it mainly continues to support the bullish narrative.
• Neutral Sentiment: Unusual call-option activity suggests traders are positioning for more upside, but it does not confirm a fundamental change in the business.
• Negative Sentiment: Citigroup still rates the stock only “neutral,” so despite the higher target, the broader analyst view is not fully bullish.

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.