TD Asset Management Inc Acquires 65,914 Shares of Valero Energy Corporation $VLO

TD Asset Management Inc grew its holdings in shares of Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO) by 46.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 209,277 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after acquiring an additional 65,914 shares during the period. TD Asset Management Inc’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $34,068,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of VLO. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Valero Energy during the 4th quarter valued at $1,111,542,000. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership purchased a new position in shares of Valero Energy during the 3rd quarter valued at $275,239,000. Pacer Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 2,635.7% during 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 buying an additional 915,782 shares in the last quarter. Life Cycle Investment Partners Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Valero Energy during the 4th quarter valued at $46,854,000. Finally, Eurizon Capital SGR S.p.A. purchased a new position in shares of Valero Energy during the 4th quarter valued at $41,855,000. Institutional investors own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms recently weighed in on VLO. Scotiabank lifted their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $178.00 to $226.00 and gave the company a “sector outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 22nd. Mizuho lifted their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $222.00 to $289.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 27th. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $182.00 to $222.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, April 24th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $230.00 to $270.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, April 6th. Finally, TD Cowen lifted their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $255.00 to $276.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Valero Energy presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $243.65.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Valero Energy news, SVP Eric A. Fisher sold 400 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $238.60, for a total value of $95,440.00. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.36% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Valero Energy Stock Down 1.1%

Shares of VLO stock opened at $256.03 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $76.02 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.61, a PEG ratio of 0.38 and a beta of 0.55. Valero Energy Corporation has a 52 week low of $127.83 and a 52 week high of $265.61. The company has a quick ratio of 1.15, a current ratio of 1.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $244.66 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $209.79.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The oil and gas company reported $4.22 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.16 by $1.06. The business had revenue of $32.38 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $31.38 billion. Valero Energy had a net margin of 3.37% and a return on equity of 15.94%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 7.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.89 EPS. Analysts predict that Valero Energy Corporation will post 26.51 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 23rd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 21st will be paid a $1.20 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 21st. This represents a $4.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.9%. Valero Energy’s payout ratio is presently 34.88%.

Valero Energy News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks highlighted Valero as one of the best low-beta stocks to buy right away, pointing to recent gains, solid trading volume, and the appeal of defensive energy exposure amid market volatility. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Another Zacks note said cleaner transportation fuels are powering Valero’s growth, citing expansion in renewable diesel, sustainable aviation fuel, and ethanol as longer-term cash flow drivers. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Valero was also featured as a strong value and growth name, with Zacks assigning it favorable rankings that may reinforce investor confidence in the stock’s earnings and valuation profile. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Valero’s refining strength was emphasized again in a Zacks article arguing that high oil prices should not fully derail margins because of tight global refining capacity and low fuel inventories. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Multiple headlines noted that Valero recently hit a 52-week high and has outperformed the Nasdaq over the past year, suggesting strong momentum and supportive fundamentals. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: One article discussed whether VLO’s run can continue after reaching a 52-week high, but it mainly framed the question around existing fundamentals rather than delivering a clear new catalyst. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: A Yahoo Finance piece flagged possible bearish signals from insider stock sales over the past year, which could temper enthusiasm if investors focus on governance or insider sentiment. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Seeking Alpha argued Valero may be a great business but at the wrong price, implying valuation could be a headwind after the stock’s strong run. Article Title

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.