Pacer Advisors Inc. Acquires 142,451 Shares of Valero Energy Corporation $VLO

Pacer Advisors Inc. grew its stake in shares of Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO) by 15.0% during the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 1,092,978 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after buying an additional 142,451 shares during the period. Pacer Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $270,053,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Norges Bank bought a new position in 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 during the third quarter valued at about $275,239,000. Amundi increased its position in shares of Valero Energy by 45.3% during the first quarter. Amundi now owns 2,584,976 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $638,695,000 after buying an additional 806,018 shares during the period. Victory Capital Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 49.3% in the fourth quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 1,696,811 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $276,224,000 after buying an additional 560,116 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE lifted its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 11.4% in the first quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 5,033,310 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $1,243,630,000 after buying an additional 516,975 shares in the last quarter. 78.69% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Valero Energy

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

Valero Energy Trading Down 0.0%

Shares of Valero Energy stock opened at $312.89 on Monday. Valero Energy Corporation has a 1 year low of $130.78 and a 1 year high of $320.24. The firm has a market cap of $92.91 billion, a PE ratio of 12.98, a PEG ratio of 0.20 and a beta of 0.55. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37, a current ratio of 1.64 and a quick ratio of 1.23. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $270.62 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $239.10.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The oil and gas company reported $12.54 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $10.11 by $2.43. The firm had revenue of $44.48 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $39.47 billion. Valero Energy had a net margin of 5.17% and a return on equity of 26.74%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 48.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.28 EPS. Analysts expect that Valero Energy Corporation will post 36.95 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, July 31st will be paid a dividend of $1.20 per share. This represents a $4.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, July 31st. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio is 19.92%.

More Valero Energy News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Record earnings significantly exceeded expectations. Valero reported second-quarter net income of $3.7 billion, or $12.62 per share, versus $714 million, or $2.28 per share, a year earlier. Adjusted EPS of $12.54 surpassed consensus estimates near $9.87-$10.13, while revenue rose 48.8% to $44.48 billion. Valero Energy beats quarterly profit estimates on higher refining margins
• Positive Sentiment: Refining conditions were particularly favorable. Higher refining margins, sturdy fuel demand and increased U.S. fuel exports—partly supported by heightened Middle East tensions—boosted profitability. Lower-cost Venezuelan feedstocks also aided results. Valero posts highest-ever Q2 profit
• Positive Sentiment: Renewables and capital discipline added support. Gains in renewable diesel and ethanol contributed to stronger profits and cash flow, while management emphasized disciplined capital allocation and ongoing shareholder returns. VLO Q2 Earnings Call Highlights Refining Strength
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts raised their outlooks. Wells Fargo increased its price target from $292 to $356 and retained an “overweight” rating. Barclays lifted its target from $279 to $323 and also rated the stock “overweight,” reinforcing the positive reaction to the earnings report.
• Positive Sentiment: The dividend remains a key attraction. Valero reaffirmed its $1.20-per-share quarterly dividend, payable August 31 to shareholders of record July 31, supporting the investment case based on cash returns. Valero Energy Corp’s Dividend Analysis
• Neutral Sentiment: Valero’s strong quarter improves its value profile, but the stock’s rally leaves less upside to some analyst targets and increases sensitivity to future refining-margin normalization.
• Negative Sentiment: Management said tax-credit changes and registration hurdles have slowed biofuel imports, creating challenges for renewable-fuel compliance and potentially limiting near-term benefits in the company’s renewables business. Tax-credit overhaul slows biofuel imports

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently commented on the stock. Mizuho boosted their price objective 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. Piper Sandler reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $329.00 target price on shares of Valero Energy in a research note on Thursday, July 23rd. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Valero Energy from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Thursday, July 23rd. Zacks Research lowered shares of Valero Energy from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, June 22nd. Finally, Scotiabank upped their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $178.00 to $226.00 and gave the stock a “sector outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 22nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Valero Energy has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $277.47.

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.