Valero Energy Corporation $VLO Shares Sold by Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund

Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund cut its position in shares of Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO) by 9.3% during the first quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 46,240 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 4,764 shares during the quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $11,425,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Whipplewood Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Valero Energy by 3,400.0% during the 1st quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC now owns 105 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 102 shares during the period. JPL Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Valero Energy in the third quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Financial Life Planners purchased a new position in Valero Energy in the first quarter worth approximately $28,000. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in Valero Energy by 134.0% during the first quarter. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 117 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 67 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Torren Management LLC acquired a new stake in Valero Energy during the fourth quarter worth $30,000. 78.69% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Valero Energy Trading Up 2.7%

VLO opened at $300.48 on Friday. Valero Energy Corporation has a 52 week low of $130.78 and a 52 week high of $303.64. 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 business has a fifty day simple moving average of $257.59 and a 200-day simple moving average of $228.76. The firm has a market cap of $89.22 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.84, a P/E/G ratio of 0.36 and a beta of 0.55.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The oil and gas company reported $4.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.16 by $1.06. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 15.94% and a net margin of 3.37%.The firm had revenue of $32.38 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $31.38 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.89 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 7.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts expect that Valero Energy Corporation will post 32.04 earnings per share for the current year.

Valero Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 31st will be given a $1.20 dividend. This represents a $4.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, July 31st. Valero Energy’s payout ratio is currently 34.88%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have recently commented on VLO. Morgan Stanley upped their price target 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. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $220.00 to $292.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 31st. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Valero Energy from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, April 4th. BMO Capital Markets increased their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $230.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, April 6th. Finally, UBS Group reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $280.00 price target on shares of Valero Energy in a research report on Thursday, June 11th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating, nine have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $253.06.

Key Stories Impacting Valero Energy

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

• Positive Sentiment: Valero declared a regular quarterly cash dividend of $1.20 per share, reinforcing its shareholder-return profile and signaling confidence in cash generation. Valero Energy Corporation Declares Regular Cash Dividend on Common Stock
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst-related coverage suggested Valero could run higher on rising earnings estimates, which typically supports the stock by pointing to improving profit expectations. Can Valero Energy (VLO) Run Higher on Rising Earnings Estimates?
• Positive Sentiment: Multiple reports said VLO hit a new 52-week high after an analyst upgrade, suggesting Wall Street sentiment has turned more constructive and helped extend the stock’s recent strength. Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) Sets New 12-Month High Following Analyst Upgrade
• Neutral Sentiment: There was also unusual options activity, with traders buying more put options than normal, which may indicate hedging or caution, but does not by itself explain a major fundamental shift.
• Neutral Sentiment: Broader refining-margin commentary for the sector was supportive overall, but it was focused on Marathon Petroleum rather than Valero specifically.

Insider Transactions at Valero Energy

In other Valero Energy news, SVP Eric A. Fisher sold 7,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $268.17, for a total transaction of $2,011,275.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 19,742 shares in the company, valued at $5,294,212.14. This represents a 27.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 0.36% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.