Truist Financial Corp Reduces Holdings in Valero Energy Corporation $VLO

Truist Financial Corp cut its position in Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO) by 26.5% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 126,346 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 45,498 shares during the quarter. Truist Financial Corp’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $21,512,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. GFG Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Valero Energy during the second quarter valued at about $27,000. Highline Wealth Partners LLC boosted its holdings in Valero Energy by 70.2% in the third quarter. Highline Wealth Partners LLC now owns 160 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 66 shares during the last quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. grew its stake in Valero Energy by 1,277.8% during the 2nd quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 248 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 230 shares in the last quarter. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates purchased a new stake in Valero Energy during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $34,000. Finally, Evolution Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Valero Energy in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $43,000. 78.69% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Valero Energy Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:VLO opened at $181.70 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $55.42 billion, a PE ratio of 23.78, a P/E/G ratio of 1.04 and a beta of 0.77. Valero Energy Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $99.00 and a fifty-two week high of $194.50. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $175.25 and a 200 day simple moving average of $163.61. The company has a quick ratio of 1.09, a current ratio of 1.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The oil and gas company reported $3.82 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.27 by $0.55. The firm had revenue of $30.37 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $28.20 billion. Valero Energy had a net margin of 1.91% and a return on equity of 12.34%. Valero Energy’s revenue was down 1.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.64 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Valero Energy Corporation will post 7.92 EPS for the current year.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Valero Energy 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 value of $1,728,540.66. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 134,196 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $23,352,787.92. This trade represents a 6.89% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 0.04% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Valero Energy News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 earnings beat — Valero posted adjusted EPS of $3.82 vs. consensus ~$3.27 and reported higher refining margins that lifted profitability. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Record throughput and operational strength highlighted on the earnings call — management cited record throughput that supports margin recovery and cash generation. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrade — Piper Sandler raised its price target to $220 and set an “overweight” rating, signaling ~21% upside versus recent levels and reinforcing bullish analyst sentiment. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Other analyst moves mixed — Morgan Stanley increased its target to $180 (below some peers’ targets and close to current levels), showing varied analyst views on near-term upside. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Supply actions — Valero said it will buy Venezuelan crude from three authorized sellers; operationally notable but carries geopolitical/supply considerations rather than immediate earnings surprises. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Offsetting margin and revenue notes — analysts and reports flagged weaker renewable-diesel margins and a small (-1.2%) y/y revenue decline; Valero’s net margin remained modest, which could limit multiple expansion despite the EPS beat. Read More.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

VLO has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Valero Energy from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $197.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $216.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, November 10th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Valero Energy in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Finally, UBS Group reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Valero Energy in a report on Tuesday, January 6th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $183.53.

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.