Valero Energy Sees Unusually High Options Volume (NYSE:VLO)

Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO) saw unusually large options trading activity on Tuesday. Stock investors acquired 13,172 call options on the company. This is an increase of approximately 57% compared to the average daily volume of 8,412 call options.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Valero Energy news, SVP Eric A. Fisher sold 7,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction 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 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 ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 0.36% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Whipplewood Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 3,400.0% during the first quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC now owns 105 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 102 shares in the last quarter. JPL Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Valero Energy during the third quarter worth approximately $27,000. Financial Life Planners bought a new position in shares of Valero Energy in the 1st quarter worth $28,000. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 67 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Torren Management LLC acquired a new stake in Valero Energy in the 4th quarter valued at $30,000. 78.69% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Trending Headlines about Valero Energy

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

• Positive Sentiment: Analyst sentiment improved after Citigroup raised its price target on Valero Energy from $259 to $302 while keeping a neutral rating, and the stock also hit a new 52-week high after the upgrade.
• Positive Sentiment: Recent reports say Valero shares may keep rising because earnings estimate revisions have turned more favorable, which often supports short-term upside for the stock. Can Valero Energy (VLO) Run Higher on Rising Earnings Estimates?
• Positive Sentiment: Momentum-focused coverage noted that Valero is up strongly over the past week, reinforcing the view that traders are rotating into the name. Valero Energy (VLO) Is Up 4.83% in One Week: What You Should Know
• Positive Sentiment: One article described Valero as a top-ranked value stock, which may help attract value-oriented investors looking for relatively cheap energy names. Valero Energy (VLO) is a Top-Ranked Value Stock: Should You Buy?
• Neutral Sentiment: Valero’s recent earnings results were already strong, with revenue and EPS beating expectations, but that data is not new; it mainly continues to support the bullish narrative.
• Neutral Sentiment: Unusual call-option activity suggests traders are positioning for more upside, but it does not confirm a fundamental change in the business.
• Negative Sentiment: Citigroup still rates the stock only “neutral,” so despite the higher target, the broader analyst view is not fully bullish.

Valero Energy Stock Down 2.7%

Valero Energy stock opened at $293.27 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $87.08 billion, a PE ratio of 21.31, a PEG ratio of 0.37 and a beta of 0.55. Valero Energy has a 12-month low of $130.78 and a 12-month high of $301.43. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $256.30 and its 200 day moving average is $227.80. The company has a quick ratio of 1.15, a current ratio of 1.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The oil and gas company reported $4.22 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.16 by $1.06. Valero Energy had a net margin of 3.37% and a return on equity of 15.94%. The business had revenue of $32.38 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $31.38 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.89 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 7.0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Valero Energy will post 32.04 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 23rd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 21st were given a dividend of $1.20 per share. This represents a $4.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, May 21st. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio is 34.88%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

VLO has been the subject of a number of research reports. UBS Group reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $280.00 target price on shares of Valero Energy in a report on Thursday, June 11th. TD Cowen upped their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $276.00 to $292.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, June 29th. Weiss Ratings cut Valero Energy from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 8th. Piper Sandler raised their price objective on Valero Energy from $236.00 to $263.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 8th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on Valero Energy from $220.00 to $292.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 31st. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $253.06.

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.