Eric Fisher Sells 7,500 Shares of Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) Stock

Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO) SVP Eric Fisher sold 7,500 shares of Valero Energy stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $236.90, for a total value of $1,776,750.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 27,242 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,453,629.80. This represents a 21.59% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link.

Valero Energy Trading Down 1.4%

Shares of Valero Energy stock traded down $3.27 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $236.50. 6,122,592 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,539,742. 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 company has a market cap of $70.22 billion, a PE ratio of 17.19, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.35 and a beta of 0.55. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $245.47 and a 200-day moving average of $214.28. Valero Energy Corporation has a 12 month low of $130.78 and a 12 month high of $265.61.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last released its quarterly 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 for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $31.38 billion. Valero Energy had a net margin of 3.37% and a return on equity of 15.94%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.89 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts expect that Valero Energy Corporation will post 27.19 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 23rd. Stockholders 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 dividend yield of 2.0%. Valero Energy’s payout ratio is presently 34.88%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on VLO shares. Raymond James Financial increased their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $215.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 25th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on Valero Energy from $230.00 to $270.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, April 6th. Scotiabank upped their target price on Valero Energy from $178.00 to $226.00 and gave the stock a “sector outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Mizuho raised their target price on Valero Energy from $222.00 to $289.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 27th. Finally, Citigroup lifted their price target on Valero Energy from $246.00 to $259.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $245.59.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. V Square Quantitative Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 0.6% during the first quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 6,670 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $1,648,000 after purchasing an additional 42 shares in the last quarter. CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC grew its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 5.5% in the 4th quarter. CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC now owns 975 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $159,000 after buying an additional 51 shares during the last quarter. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC grew its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 32.9% in the 4th quarter. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC now owns 206 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 51 shares during the last quarter. Providence Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in Valero Energy by 0.5% during the 4th quarter. Providence Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 9,610 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $1,564,000 after buying an additional 52 shares in the last quarter. Finally, KPP Advisory Services LLC increased its position in Valero Energy by 2.5% during the 1st quarter. KPP Advisory Services LLC now owns 2,156 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $533,000 after buying an additional 52 shares in the last quarter. 78.69% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.