Rakuten Investment Management Inc. Acquires Shares of 26,627 Valero Energy Corporation $VLO

Rakuten Investment Management Inc. bought a new position in Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO) in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm bought 26,627 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,534,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Valero Energy in the second quarter worth about $827,390,000. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Valero Energy by 16.7% during the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 8,141,511 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $1,089,897,000 after purchasing an additional 1,164,217 shares in the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. grew its stake in Valero Energy by 162.5% in the second quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 523,692 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $70,395,000 after purchasing an additional 324,174 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its holdings in Valero Energy by 2.5% in the second quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 11,724,707 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $1,576,035,000 after purchasing an additional 286,942 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 17.7% during the 3rd quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 1,706,187 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $286,076,000 after buying an additional 256,373 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

VLO has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Zacks Research cut shares of Valero Energy from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Mizuho reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $192.00 price target (up from $190.00) on shares of Valero Energy in a research report on Friday, December 12th. Erste Group Bank started coverage on Valero Energy in a report on Monday, November 10th. They issued a “buy” rating on the stock. Raymond James Financial reaffirmed a “strong-buy” rating and issued a $195.00 price target (up previously from $181.00) on shares of Valero Energy in a research report on Friday, October 24th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Valero Energy in a research report on Wednesday. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $183.00.

Valero Energy Trading Down 0.7%

Valero Energy stock opened at $186.92 on Friday. Valero Energy Corporation has a one year low of $99.00 and a one year high of $193.33. The business’s fifty day moving average is $174.62 and its 200 day moving average is $162.20. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a current ratio of 1.60 and a quick ratio of 1.09. The stock has a market capitalization of $57.01 billion, a PE ratio of 39.02, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 0.77.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, October 23rd. The oil and gas company reported $3.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.15 by $0.51. Valero Energy had a net margin of 1.21% and a return on equity of 8.69%. The business had revenue of $32.17 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $28.80 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.14 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 2.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Valero Energy Corporation will post 7.92 EPS for the current year.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 9th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, February 5th will be given a $1.20 dividend. This is a boost from Valero Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.13. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, February 5th. This represents a $4.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.6%. Valero Energy’s payout ratio is presently 94.36%.

Trending Headlines about Valero Energy

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

• Positive Sentiment: Board raises regular quarterly dividend from $1.13 to $1.20 (annualized $4.80), payable Mar 9, boosting yield and returning cash to shareholders — a clear shareholder-friendly move that tends to support the stock. Valero Energy Corporation Increases Regular Cash Dividend on Common Stock
• Positive Sentiment: Valero bought a Venezuelan crude cargo under Washington’s deal with Caracas — could provide discounted feedstock and near-term refining margin upside if crude comes in at favorable economics. This also signals access to additional crude sources for Gulf Coast operations. Exclusive: Valero buys Venezuelan oil cargo as part of Washington’s deal with Caracas
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst / market commentary highlights VLO as an oil/refining play (VanEck mention) and Zacks pieces note that softer crude prices can improve refining margins — both items can support expectations for stronger downstream profitability. VanEck spotlights SLB, HAL, BKR, PSX, and VLO as oil plays
• Positive Sentiment: Pre-earnings coverage: analysts expect earnings growth and a potential beat next week — if results and guidance come in above consensus this could lift the stock. Valero Energy (VLO) Earnings Expected to Grow: What to Know Ahead of Next Week’s Release
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage pieces examine VLO’s S&P 500 role and longer-term positioning in refining scale — informative for strategic investors but unlikely to move the stock immediately. Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) s&p 500 Index Role In Refining Scale
• Neutral Sentiment: Valuation pieces send mixed signals (P/E vs. DCF), leaving upside contingent on margins and earnings delivery rather than valuation rerating alone. A Look At Valero Energy (VLO) Valuation As P/E And DCF Send Mixed Signals
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks Research downgraded Valero from “strong-buy” to “hold,” which can increase short-term selling pressure or temper buy-side enthusiasm ahead of earnings. Zacks.com
• Negative Sentiment: Despite the positive headlines, the stock is trading lower today on lighter-than-average volume, suggesting investors are waiting for the upcoming earnings print and details on margins and guidance before adding positions.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CFO Jason W. Fraser sold 9,933 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, November 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $174.02, for a total transaction of $1,728,540.66. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 134,196 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $23,352,787.92. This represents a 6.89% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.04% of the company’s stock.

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.