Valero Energy Corporation $VLO Shares Sold by Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI

Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI trimmed its stake in Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO) by 82.1% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 1,831 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 8,403 shares during the quarter. Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $452,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Valero Energy in the 4th quarter valued at $1,111,542,000. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership purchased a new position in shares of Valero Energy in the 3rd quarter worth $275,239,000. Pacer Advisors Inc. raised its position in shares of Valero Energy by 2,635.7% in the 4th quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 950,527 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $154,736,000 after buying an additional 915,782 shares during the period. Victory Capital Management Inc. boosted its holdings in 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 valued at $276,224,000 after acquiring an additional 560,116 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. grew its position in Valero Energy by 7.5% during the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 5,668,210 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $922,728,000 after acquiring an additional 394,693 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

More Valero Energy News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Goldman Sachs raised Valero Energy’s price target to $357 from $286 and kept a buy rating, signaling meaningful upside from current levels. Benzinga article
• Positive Sentiment: TD Cowen also lifted its price target on Valero to $338 from $292, reinforcing improving Street sentiment on the stock. Benzinga article
• Positive Sentiment: A recent comparison of Valero vs. Cenovus Energy argued that VLO’s refining advantage and near-term upside make it the more attractive energy stock right now. Yahoo Finance article
• Neutral Sentiment: Another article echoed the same Valero vs. Cenovus comparison, but it was more of an opinion/research piece than a new operational update for VLO. Zacks article
• Neutral Sentiment: Zacks also published a long-term growth article naming Valero as a top growth stock, which is supportive but not a direct catalyst. Zacks article

Valero Energy Price Performance

VLO stock opened at $310.90 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $92.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.59, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.38 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. Valero Energy Corporation has a 1 year low of $130.78 and a 1 year high of $320.24. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $262.98 and a 200-day simple moving average of $232.93.

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, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.16 by $1.06. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 15.94% and a net margin of 3.37%.The firm had revenue of $32.38 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $31.38 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.89 EPS. Valero Energy’s quarterly revenue was up 7.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts predict that Valero Energy Corporation will post 32.61 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced 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. This represents a $4.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, July 31st. Valero Energy’s payout ratio is presently 34.88%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

VLO has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Wall Street Zen raised Valero Energy from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, April 4th. Zacks Research lowered shares of Valero Energy from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, June 22nd. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $232.00 to $255.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, June 12th. Mizuho boosted their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $222.00 to $289.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 27th. Finally, Raymond James Financial increased their price objective on shares of 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 analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating, nine have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Valero Energy presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $262.82.

Insider Buying and Selling at Valero Energy

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 completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 19,742 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,294,212.14. This trade represents a 27.53% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Company insiders own 0.36% of the company’s stock.

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.