Manning & Napier Advisors LLC Decreases Position in Valero Energy Corporation $VLO

Manning & Napier Advisors LLC decreased its holdings in Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO) by 5.4% in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 32,497 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 1,863 shares during the quarter. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $8,133,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in VLO. Woodline Partners LP increased its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 40.7% during the first quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 26,747 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $3,532,000 after acquiring an additional 7,735 shares in the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC boosted its stake in Valero Energy by 13.0% in the 2nd quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 1,929 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $259,000 after purchasing an additional 222 shares in the last quarter. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL acquired a new stake in Valero Energy in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $528,000. Sei Investments Co. grew its position in Valero Energy by 11.3% during the 2nd quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 269,043 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $36,165,000 after purchasing an additional 27,291 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Treasurer of the State of North Carolina increased its stake in Valero Energy by 0.9% during the 2nd quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 145,810 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $19,600,000 after purchasing an additional 1,338 shares in the last quarter. 78.69% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Weiss Ratings cut shares of Valero Energy from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Wednesday. Wolfe Research reissued an “underperform” rating and set a $203.00 price objective on shares of Valero Energy in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. Scotiabank upped their target price on Valero Energy from $178.00 to $226.00 and gave the company a “sector outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Piper Sandler raised their target price on Valero Energy from $236.00 to $263.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 8th. Finally, Barclays boosted their price target on Valero Energy from $261.00 to $279.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 1st. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $247.59.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Valero Energy news, SVP Eric A. Fisher sold 7,500 shares of Valero Energy stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $268.17, for a total transaction of $2,011,275.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 19,742 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,294,212.14. This trade represents a 27.53% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.36% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting Valero Energy

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

• Positive Sentiment: Valero’s Gulf Coast refining network is benefiting from strong fuel demand, elevated crack spreads, and rising exports, which should support refining profitability. Strong Fuel Demand & Elevated Crack Spreads Support Valero’s Outlook
• Positive Sentiment: Valero’s recent Russell reclassification into larger-cap and growth benchmarks may be drawing incremental index demand for the stock, while lower crude costs can help preserve refining margins. Why Valero (VLO) Is Up 5.0% After Russell Reclassification And Refining Margin Tailwinds
• Positive Sentiment: Renewed Middle East tensions and rising oil prices are keeping refining margins in focus, which can be supportive for Valero if crude costs remain softer than product prices. Can Valero Energy Benefit From Renewed Middle East Tensions?
• Neutral Sentiment: Valero is also being highlighted as a trending stock, which signals elevated investor attention but does not by itself change fundamentals. Valero Energy Corporation (VLO) Is a Trending Stock: Facts to Know Before Betting on It

Valero Energy Stock Performance

NYSE VLO traded down $0.71 on Friday, hitting $280.54. 1,931,882 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,034,427. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $253.35 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $224.56. The firm has a market capitalization of $83.30 billion, a PE ratio of 20.39, a P/E/G ratio of 0.38 and a beta of 0.55. The company has a current ratio of 1.58, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39. Valero Energy Corporation has a 1-year low of $130.78 and a 1-year high of $287.05.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The oil and gas company reported $4.22 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.16 by $1.06. Valero Energy had a net margin of 3.37% and a return on equity of 15.94%. The firm had revenue of $32.38 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $31.38 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.89 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 7.0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts expect that Valero Energy Corporation will post 28.72 EPS for the current year.

Valero Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 23rd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 21st were given a dividend of $1.20 per share. This represents a $4.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, May 21st. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 34.88%.

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.