Valero Energy Corporation $VLO Shares Sold by Praxis Investment Management Inc.

Praxis Investment Management Inc. trimmed its position in shares of Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO) by 11.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 17,209 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 2,191 shares during the period. Praxis Investment Management Inc.’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $2,801,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Gateway Investment Advisers LLC increased its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 21.6% during the fourth quarter. Gateway Investment Advisers LLC now owns 24,465 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $3,983,000 after buying an additional 4,347 shares during the period. Indivisible Partners purchased a new stake in shares of Valero Energy during the fourth quarter worth approximately $296,000. Stevens Capital Management LP increased its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 505.4% during the fourth quarter. Stevens Capital Management LP now owns 10,733 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $1,747,000 after buying an additional 8,960 shares during the period. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. increased its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 2.1% during the fourth quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 644,234 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $106,498,000 after buying an additional 13,364 shares during the period. Finally, Providence First Trust Co purchased a new stake in shares of Valero Energy during the fourth quarter worth approximately $313,000. 78.69% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Valero Energy

In other news, SVP Eric A. Fisher sold 400 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $238.60, for a total transaction of $95,440.00. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.36% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Valero Energy Price Performance

VLO stock opened at $236.05 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $70.58 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.15, a PEG ratio of 0.39 and a beta of 0.58. Valero Energy Corporation has a twelve month low of $115.65 and a twelve month high of $258.43. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $234.09 and a 200-day simple moving average of $197.97. The company has a current ratio of 1.58, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The oil and gas company reported $4.22 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.16 by $1.06. The business had revenue of $32.38 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $31.38 billion. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 15.94% and a net margin of 3.37%.The company’s revenue was up 7.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.89 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Valero Energy Corporation will post 25.71 EPS for the current year.

Valero Energy News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks recommends VLO as one of three top Refining & Marketing picks, highlighting industry positioning and potential upside for refiners. Looking for Energy Winners? Try 3 Refining & Marketing Stocks
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks also profiles VLO as a long-term momentum stock, citing strong style scores and recent share-price strength that support continued investor interest. Why Valero Energy (VLO) is a Top Momentum Stock for the Long-Term
• Positive Sentiment: Scotiabank reaffirmed a Buy rating on Valero, offering institutional support that can underpin the stock during short-term volatility. Scotiabank Sticks to Their Buy Rating for Valero Energy (VLO)
• Neutral Sentiment: Broad-market tailwinds — S&P 500 and Nasdaq at record highs on tech earnings and geopolitical optimism — provide cyclical support that can lift energy names, but impacts vary by sub?sector. S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100 at Record Highs on Tech Earnings and US-Iran Peace Hopes
• Neutral Sentiment: Peer results: PBF Energy reported mixed Q1 results (narrowed loss but missed some estimates) — reinforces that refining margins remain the key driver for industry earnings and can swing VLO’s results quarter-to-quarter. PBF Energy Q1 Earnings Miss Estimates, Revenues Increase Y/Y
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation and momentum warnings: recent analyses note a strong run-up in VLO’s share price and rising short?term returns, which raises the risk of profit?taking or a pullback after fast gains. Traders may be selling into strength today. Valero Energy (VLO) Valuation Check After Strong Recent Share Price Momentum

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. Barclays upped their price target on Valero Energy from $184.00 to $261.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 8th. Raymond James Financial upped their price target on Valero Energy from $215.00 to $290.00 and gave the company a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 25th. Citigroup upped their price target on Valero Energy from $246.00 to $259.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, May 1st. Scotiabank upped their price target on Valero Energy from $178.00 to $226.00 and gave the company a “sector outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their price target on Valero Energy from $182.00 to $222.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, April 24th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $237.94.

About Valero Energy

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.