Ameriprise Financial Inc. Sells 559,617 Shares of Valero Energy Corporation $VLO

Ameriprise Financial Inc. lowered its stake in Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO) by 9.1% during the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 5,572,170 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 559,617 shares during the period. Ameriprise Financial Inc. owned 1.83% of Valero Energy worth $948,744,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Highline Wealth Partners LLC lifted its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 70.2% in the 3rd quarter. Highline Wealth Partners LLC now owns 160 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 66 shares during the last quarter. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates bought a new stake in Valero Energy during the 3rd quarter worth $34,000. Cypress Capital Management LLC WY bought a new stake in Valero Energy during the 3rd quarter worth $34,000. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in Valero Energy by 145.3% in the 3rd quarter. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 211 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 125 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Evolution Wealth Management Inc. bought a new position in Valero Energy in the second quarter valued at about $43,000. Institutional investors own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Valero Energy

In other news, SVP Eric A. Fisher sold 8,311 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $227.69, for a total value of $1,892,331.59. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 42,242 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,618,080.98. The trade was a 16.44% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 0.04% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting Valero Energy

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

• Positive Sentiment: Goldman Sachs raised its price target to $237 and kept a Buy rating, offering a near-term catalyst and institutional endorsement that can support the share price. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Valero increased its quarterly dividend to $1.20 (annualized $4.80), which strengthens the income argument for the stock and can attract yield-focused buyers. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Notable institutional accumulation has been reported (several funds adding positions), signalling conviction from longer-term investors in a refining recovery. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts are revising fair-value assumptions (example fair value moved to ~$202.72), producing mixed calls — some firms lift targets, others trim them depending on refining/crude assumptions. This creates divergent analyst signals rather than a clear consensus catalyst. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Several investor-attention and dividend-themed write-ups (Zacks/Yahoo) are increasing visibility; helpful for flows but not a direct fundamental change. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling: SVP Eric A. Fisher disclosed sizable sales this week (8,311 shares at ~ $227.69 and an additional 400 shares at ~$238.60). Large insider disposals can spook short-term sentiment even though he retains a substantial holding. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Policy risk: reports that the White House is considering a temporary Jones Act waiver to ease fuel shipping could, if enacted, lower domestic fuel prices and compress refiners’ margins — a material industry risk for Valero. Read More.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently commented on the company. Argus raised Valero Energy to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Citigroup raised their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $190.00 to $212.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, February 9th. Bank of America reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $195.00 target price (down from $198.00) on shares of Valero Energy in a research report on Thursday, December 11th. Mizuho reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $192.00 target price (up from $190.00) on shares of Valero Energy in a report on Friday, December 12th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Valero Energy in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating and ten have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $193.20.

Valero Energy Trading Down 2.2%

NYSE VLO opened at $230.57 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $68.95 billion, a PE ratio of 30.18, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.18 and a beta of 0.70. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $197.83 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $177.83. The company has a current ratio of 1.64, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36. Valero Energy Corporation has a 12 month low of $99.00 and a 12 month high of $240.27.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 29th. The oil and gas company reported $3.82 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.27 by $0.55. The company had revenue of $30.37 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $28.20 billion. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 12.35% and a net margin of 1.91%.The firm’s revenue was down 1.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.64 earnings per share. On average, analysts expect that Valero Energy Corporation will post 7.92 EPS for the current year.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 9th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, February 5th were issued a dividend of $1.20 per share. This represents a $4.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 5th. This is a positive change from Valero Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.13. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 62.83%.

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.