Groupe la Francaise Buys Shares of 28,702 Valero Energy Corporation $VLO

Groupe la Francaise purchased a new stake in Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO) during the first quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm purchased 28,702 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,092,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Valero Energy in the fourth quarter valued at about $1,111,542,000. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership acquired a new position in Valero Energy in the third quarter valued at about $275,239,000. Pacer Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings 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 worth $154,736,000 after buying an additional 915,782 shares during the last quarter. Amundi boosted its holdings in Valero Energy by 45.3% during the first quarter. Amundi now owns 2,584,976 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $638,695,000 after buying an additional 806,018 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Victory Capital Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Valero Energy by 49.3% during 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 during the period. 78.69% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Valero Energy 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 approximately $5,294,212.14. The trade was a 27.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.36% of the company’s stock.

Valero Energy Trading Up 0.4%

NYSE VLO opened at $312.89 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $92.91 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.98, a P/E/G ratio of 0.20 and a beta of 0.55. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a current ratio of 1.58 and a quick ratio of 1.15. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $270.62 and its 200-day moving average is $238.69. Valero Energy Corporation has a one year low of $130.78 and a one year high of $320.24.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 30th. The oil and gas company reported $12.54 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $10.11 by $2.43. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 27.11% and a net margin of 5.17%.The business had revenue of $44.48 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $39.47 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $2.28 EPS. Valero Energy’s revenue for the quarter was up 48.8% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Valero Energy Corporation will post 36.64 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 31st will be issued a dividend of $1.20 per share. This represents a $4.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.5%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 31st. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 19.92%.

Trending Headlines about Valero Energy

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

• Positive Sentiment: Record earnings significantly exceeded expectations. Valero reported second-quarter net income of $3.7 billion, or $12.62 per share, versus $714 million, or $2.28 per share, a year earlier. Adjusted EPS of $12.54 surpassed consensus estimates near $9.87-$10.13, while revenue rose 48.8% to $44.48 billion. Valero Energy beats quarterly profit estimates on higher refining margins
• Positive Sentiment: Refining conditions were particularly favorable. Higher refining margins, sturdy fuel demand and increased U.S. fuel exports—partly supported by heightened Middle East tensions—boosted profitability. Lower-cost Venezuelan feedstocks also aided results. Valero posts highest-ever Q2 profit
• Positive Sentiment: Renewables and capital discipline added support. Gains in renewable diesel and ethanol contributed to stronger profits and cash flow, while management emphasized disciplined capital allocation and ongoing shareholder returns. VLO Q2 Earnings Call Highlights Refining Strength
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts raised their outlooks. Wells Fargo increased its price target from $292 to $356 and retained an “overweight” rating. Barclays lifted its target from $279 to $323 and also rated the stock “overweight,” reinforcing the positive reaction to the earnings report.
• Positive Sentiment: The dividend remains a key attraction. Valero reaffirmed its $1.20-per-share quarterly dividend, payable August 31 to shareholders of record July 31, supporting the investment case based on cash returns. Valero Energy Corp’s Dividend Analysis
• Neutral Sentiment: Valero’s strong quarter improves its value profile, but the stock’s rally leaves less upside to some analyst targets and increases sensitivity to future refining-margin normalization.
• Negative Sentiment: Management said tax-credit changes and registration hurdles have slowed biofuel imports, creating challenges for renewable-fuel compliance and potentially limiting near-term benefits in the company’s renewables business. Tax-credit overhaul slows biofuel imports

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently commented on the company. Wolfe Research reaffirmed an “underperform” rating and issued a $203.00 price target on shares of Valero Energy in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $232.00 to $255.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, June 12th. Citigroup upped their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $259.00 to $302.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 14th. Mizuho increased their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $222.00 to $289.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 27th. Finally, Barclays increased their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $279.00 to $323.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $277.47.

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.