Manning & Napier Advisors LLC Lowers Stock Holdings in Valero Energy Corporation $VLO

Manning & Napier Advisors LLC lowered its position in shares of Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO) by 90.3% in the 2nd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 3,136 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 29,361 shares during the quarter. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $835,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of VLO. Whipplewood Advisors LLC increased 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 purchasing an additional 102 shares during the last quarter. JPL Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Valero Energy during the 3rd quarter valued at about $27,000. Financial Life Planners bought a new stake in Valero Energy in the 1st quarter worth approximately $28,000. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in Valero Energy by 134.0% in the 1st quarter. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 117 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 67 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Torren Management LLC purchased a new stake in Valero Energy in the fourth quarter worth approximately $30,000. 78.69% of the stock is currently 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: Wall Street analysts collectively rate VLO a Buy. While the article cautions that brokerage recommendations can be overly optimistic, the favorable consensus may continue to support investor demand. Wall Street Analysts See Valero Energy as a Buy
• Positive Sentiment: Valero was included in Zacks’ list of Rank #1, or Strong Buy, growth stocks. Its growth, value and momentum characteristics are being highlighted as reasons for long-term investor interest. Best Growth Stocks to Buy
• Positive Sentiment: In a comparison with Marathon Petroleum, Valero receives the edge because of its stronger balance sheet and share-price momentum, despite Marathon offering a cheaper valuation. This reinforces VLO’s positioning among large refiners. Marathon Versus Valero
• Positive Sentiment: Valero is also identified as a relatively low-beta stock, potentially appealing to investors seeking refining exposure with less market volatility. Low-Beta Stocks
• Neutral Sentiment: An article discusses whether Valero, along with other refiners, could afford to acquire Delek US Holdings. No transaction was announced, so the potential deal is not an immediate catalyst. Could Valero Afford Delek US Holdings
• Negative Sentiment: Valero shares have risen sharply—about 14% over the past month, 43% over three months and more than 100% year to date—while recently easing slightly. Analysts examining fair value suggest the stock may be fully valued or trading above intrinsic value, increasing the risk of profit-taking. Is Valero Fully Valued

Insider Activity at Valero Energy

In related news, SVP Eric A. Fisher sold 7,500 shares of the company’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 completion of 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 position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 0.36% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have commented on VLO shares. Raymond James Financial increased their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $300.00 to $340.00 and gave the company a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, July 13th. Piper Sandler reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $329.00 price objective on shares of Valero Energy in a research note on Thursday, July 23rd. TD Cowen increased their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $338.00 to $350.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, August 3rd. UBS Group increased their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $280.00 to $355.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, July 31st. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Valero Energy from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 6th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $288.00.

Valero Energy Price Performance

VLO opened at $340.61 on Wednesday. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $296.84 and its 200 day simple moving average is $256.30. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37, a current ratio of 1.64 and a quick ratio of 1.23. Valero Energy Corporation has a 1 year low of $145.14 and a 1 year high of $353.00. The firm has a market cap of $98.07 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.13, a PEG ratio of 0.23 and a beta of 0.55.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 30th. The oil and gas company reported $12.54 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $10.11 by $2.43. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 26.74% and a net margin of 5.17%.The firm had revenue of $44.48 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $39.47 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.28 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 48.8% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts predict that Valero Energy Corporation will post 40.62 earnings per share for the current year.

Valero Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 31st. Investors of record on Friday, July 31st will be paid a $1.20 dividend. This represents a $4.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, July 31st. Valero Energy’s payout ratio is presently 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.