denkapparat Operations GmbH Raises Stock Holdings in Valero Energy Corporation $VLO

denkapparat Operations GmbH lifted its stake in Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO) by 183.7% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 4,914 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after buying an additional 3,182 shares during the quarter. denkapparat Operations GmbH’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $1,280,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Whipplewood Advisors LLC raised its stake in 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 worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 102 shares during the period. Financial Life Planners bought a new position in shares of Valero Energy in the first quarter worth approximately $28,000. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 134.0% in the first quarter. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 117 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 67 shares in the last quarter. Global Assets Advisory LLC bought a new stake in shares of Valero Energy during the 1st quarter valued at $33,000. Finally, JPL Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Valero Energy during the 3rd quarter valued at $27,000. 78.69% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Headlines Impacting Valero Energy

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

• Positive Sentiment: Piper Sandler raised its price target to $435 from $329 and upgraded Valero to “Overweight,” implying further upside from recent levels. The revision is a significant boost to investor sentiment. Benzinga analyst note
• Positive Sentiment: Erste Group Bank increased its earnings estimates for Valero, suggesting expectations for stronger refining profitability and supporting the stock’s valuation. Erste Group Bank Boosts Earnings Estimates for Valero Energy
• Positive Sentiment: Wells Fargo indicated that Valero’s stock is expected to rise, adding another favorable sell-side view as the shares approach record levels. Valero Energy Stock Price Expected to Rise
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks added VLO to its Rank #1 (Strong Buy) growth-stock list on September 2 and September 3. The repeated ranking reflects favorable earnings and momentum indicators. Best Growth Stocks to Buy for September 3rd
• Positive Sentiment: Valero outperformed the broader stock market in the latest session, with the rally likely reinforced by analyst upgrades, higher earnings expectations and continued investor interest in refiners. Valero Energy Laps the Stock Market
• Neutral Sentiment: Valero reached a new 12-month high, highlighting strong momentum but also raising the risk that much of the positive outlook is already reflected in the share price. Valero Energy Hits New 12-Month High
• Negative Sentiment: A Seeking Alpha analysis downgraded Valero to “Hold,” arguing that the market may already be pricing in the benefit of closed Russian oil flows and related refining-market support. This represents a valuation and risk warning after the recent advance. Valero Energy: Market Pricing Closed Russian Flows

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Valero Energy news, SVP Eric Fisher sold 7,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 $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 available through this link. Insiders own 0.36% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages recently weighed in on VLO. UBS Group upped their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $280.00 to $355.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, July 31st. Raymond James Financial raised their price target on Valero Energy from $300.00 to $340.00 and gave the company a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, July 13th. TD Cowen boosted their price objective on Valero Energy from $338.00 to $350.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, August 3rd. Jefferies Financial Group set a $350.00 price objective on Valero Energy in a research note on Monday, August 3rd. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised Valero Energy from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a report on Thursday, August 6th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $296.18.

Valero Energy Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE VLO opened at $370.84 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37, a quick ratio of 1.23 and a current ratio of 1.64. The company has a market cap of $106.78 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.39, a P/E/G ratio of 0.42 and a beta of 0.57. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $313.01 and its two-hundred day moving average is $264.11. Valero Energy Corporation has a 52-week low of $153.20 and a 52-week high of $375.11.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 30th. The oil and gas company reported $12.54 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $10.11 by $2.43. The business had revenue of $44.48 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate 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 was up 48.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.28 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that Valero Energy Corporation will post 40.7 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, August 31st. Investors of record on Friday, July 31st were given a $1.20 dividend. This represents a $4.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, July 31st. Valero Energy’s payout ratio is currently 19.92%.

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.