2,110 Shares in Valero Energy Corporation $VLO Bought by Diversify Wealth Management LLC

Diversify Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO) during the first quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor purchased 2,110 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock, valued at approximately $530,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. State Street Corp increased its position in shares of Valero Energy by 0.9% during the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 18,177,191 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $2,959,065,000 after purchasing an additional 163,975 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in Valero Energy by 0.5% in the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 11,950,982 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $1,945,500,000 after purchasing an additional 63,919 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Valero Energy during the 4th quarter worth about $1,111,542,000. Franklin Resources Inc. increased its position in shares of Valero Energy by 7.5% in the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 5,668,210 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $922,728,000 after acquiring an additional 394,693 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Northern Trust Corp grew its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 0.5% during the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 3,285,161 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $534,791,000 after buying an additional 17,336 shares in the last quarter. 78.69% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Valero Energy Stock Up 3.1%

VLO opened at $309.50 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $91.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.49, a PEG ratio of 0.37 and a beta of 0.55. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a current ratio of 1.58. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $258.97 and its 200-day simple moving average is $229.32. Valero Energy Corporation has a twelve month low of $130.78 and a twelve month high of $309.90.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The oil and gas company reported $4.22 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.16 by $1.06. The firm had revenue of $32.38 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $31.38 billion. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 15.94% and a net margin of 3.37%.The business’s revenue was up 7.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.89 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that Valero Energy Corporation will post 32.04 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Announces Dividend

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

VLO has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on Valero Energy from $220.00 to $292.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 31st. Mizuho upped their target price on Valero Energy from $222.00 to $289.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 27th. Weiss Ratings cut shares of Valero Energy from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 8th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on Valero Energy from $230.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, April 6th. Finally, Raymond James Financial boosted their price objective on Valero Energy from $300.00 to $340.00 and gave the stock a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, July 13th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating, nine have given 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 price target of $253.06.

Key Stories Impacting Valero Energy

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

• Positive Sentiment: Valero expanded its share repurchase authorization, which can boost earnings per share over time and indicates the board sees value in the stock. Valero Energy Expands Share Repurchase Authorization Program
• Positive Sentiment: Valero declared a quarterly cash dividend of $1.20 per share, reinforcing its appeal to income-focused investors and highlighting strong cash generation. Valero Energy Corporation Declares Regular Cash Dividend on Common Stock
• Positive Sentiment: Energy stocks rose late Friday afternoon, with the broader sector gaining on the day, which likely provided a supportive backdrop for VLO shares. Sector Update: Energy Stocks Rise Late Afternoon
• Neutral Sentiment: Separately, there was unusual put-option activity in Valero, suggesting some traders are hedging or positioning for near-term volatility rather than making a clear directional bet.
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent articles also pointed to improving earnings estimates and momentum, which may be helping sentiment, though these were commentary pieces rather than new company announcements. Can Valero Energy (VLO) Run Higher on Rising Earnings Estimates?

Insider Activity

In related news, SVP Eric A. Fisher sold 7,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on 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 trade represents a 27.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.36% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Valero Energy 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.