Sanctuary Advisors LLC Purchases 35,067 Shares of Valero Energy Corporation $VLO

Sanctuary Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO) by 26.6% during the first quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 166,868 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after purchasing an additional 35,067 shares during the period. Sanctuary Advisors LLC’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $41,230,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Valero Energy in the 4th quarter worth about $1,111,542,000. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership bought a new stake in shares of Valero Energy in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $275,239,000. Pacer Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 2,635.7% in the 4th quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 950,527 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $154,736,000 after purchasing an additional 915,782 shares in the last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 49.3% in the 4th quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 1,696,811 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $276,224,000 after purchasing an additional 560,116 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 7.5% during the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 5,668,210 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $922,728,000 after purchasing an additional 394,693 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, SVP Eric A. Fisher sold 7,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 19,742 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,294,212.14. This trade represents a 27.53% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.36% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages recently commented on VLO. Raymond James Financial lifted their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $300.00 to $340.00 and gave the stock a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday. BMO Capital Markets raised their price objective on Valero Energy from $230.00 to $270.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, April 6th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on Valero Energy from $220.00 to $292.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 31st. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on Valero Energy from $232.00 to $255.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, June 12th. Finally, TD Cowen increased their target price on Valero Energy from $276.00 to $292.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, June 29th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $253.06.

Valero Energy News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Citigroup raised its price target on Valero Energy to $302 from $259, while Raymond James lifted its target to $340 and reiterated a strong-buy view, signaling continued analyst confidence in the stock’s outlook.
• Positive Sentiment: Valero saw unusually large call option buying, with 13,172 contracts traded versus an average of 8,412, suggesting traders are positioning for further upside.
• Positive Sentiment: Articles citing renewed Middle East tensions and disruptions around the Strait of Hormuz point to higher gasoline and refined-product prices, which can support Valero’s refining margins and earnings.
• Positive Sentiment: Recent coverage also highlighted Valero’s strong stock performance over the past year and year to date, reinforcing momentum-driven interest from investors.
• Neutral Sentiment: Valero was mentioned in broader market commentary about energy stocks benefiting from higher U.S. gas prices, but this was not a company-specific development.
• Neutral Sentiment: A Zacks note said Valero has outperformed the market recently, but it was more of a performance recap than a new fundamental catalyst.

Valero Energy Price Performance

Shares of VLO stock opened at $300.26 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $89.16 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.82, a P/E/G ratio of 0.37 and a beta of 0.55. Valero Energy Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $130.78 and a fifty-two week high of $301.43. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $255.16 and its 200-day moving average price is $226.88. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a current ratio of 1.58.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The oil and gas company reported $4.22 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.16 by $1.06. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 15.94% and a net margin of 3.37%.The company had revenue of $32.38 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $31.38 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.89 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Valero Energy Corporation will post 31.04 earnings per share for the current year.

Valero Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 23rd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 21st were issued a $1.20 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, May 21st. This represents a $4.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.6%. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio is 34.88%.

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.