Teacher Retirement System of Texas Raises Stock Holdings in Valero Energy Corporation $VLO

Teacher Retirement System of Texas increased its stake in shares of Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO) by 183.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 136,906 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after purchasing an additional 88,556 shares during the quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas’ holdings in Valero Energy were worth $22,287,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in VLO. JPL Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Valero Energy during the 3rd quarter worth $27,000. Cypress Capital Management LLC WY purchased a new stake in shares of Valero Energy during the 3rd quarter worth $34,000. Triumph Capital Management purchased a new stake in shares of Valero Energy during the 3rd quarter worth $35,000. Accordant Advisory Group Inc lifted its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 194.4% during the 4th quarter. Accordant Advisory Group Inc now owns 212 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 140 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 145.3% during the 3rd quarter. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 211 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 125 shares during the last quarter. 78.69% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other news, SVP Eric A. Fisher sold 8,311 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $227.69, for a total value of $1,892,331.59. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 42,242 shares in the company, valued at $9,618,080.98. This trade represents a 16.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 0.36% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

VLO has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Raymond James Financial upped their price objective on Valero Energy from $215.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 25th. Argus raised Valero Energy to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Barclays upped their target price on Valero Energy from $184.00 to $261.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 8th. Wolfe Research reaffirmed an “underperform” rating and set a $203.00 target price on shares of Valero Energy in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on Valero Energy from $197.00 to $200.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $230.65.

Valero Energy Trading Up 0.8%

Shares of Valero Energy stock opened at $235.66 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.64, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36. Valero Energy Corporation has a 12-month low of $112.00 and a 12-month high of $258.43. The firm has a market capitalization of $70.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.85, a PEG ratio of 0.46 and a beta of 0.62. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $228.55 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $193.93.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 29th. The oil and gas company reported $3.82 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.27 by $0.55. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 12.35% and a net margin of 1.91%.The firm had revenue of $30.37 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $28.20 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.64 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts predict that Valero Energy Corporation will post 19.03 EPS for the current year.

Key Stories Impacting Valero Energy

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

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research upgraded VLO from “hold” to “strong-buy,” giving the stock a favorable analyst vote that can support further buying interest. Zacks Upgrade
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts at Zacks and other outlets preview VLO’s upcoming earnings and flag that Valero has the key ingredients for a likely earnings beat (strong refining margins, stable throughput expectations), which tends to lift sentiment into the print. Earnings Preview
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage pieces note VLO is a “trending” stock on investor platforms — increased attention can boost volume and volatility but is not a directional catalyst by itself. Trending Article
• Neutral Sentiment: Reminder: Valero is scheduled to report quarterly results shortly; timing and any guidance/comments on margins and throughput will likely be the primary near-term driver. Earnings Date Note
• Negative Sentiment: Morgan Stanley raised its price target to $222 but kept an “equal weight” rating — the $222 TP is below the current market level, implying downside versus today’s price and signaling limited upside from this shop. Morgan Stanley Note
• Negative Sentiment: Wolfe Research reiterated an “Underperform” rating, which could pressure sentiment among more cautious institutional holders and add selling pressure if the earnings print disappoints. Wolfe Research

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.