Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) Stake Raised by Aptus Capital Advisors LLC

Aptus Capital Advisors LLC raised its position in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO - Free Report) by 57.3% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 8,783 shares of the oil and gas company's stock after purchasing an additional 3,198 shares during the period. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC's holdings in Valero Energy were worth $1,077,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. World Investment Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 34.7% during the 3rd quarter. World Investment Advisors LLC now owns 4,245 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $573,000 after acquiring an additional 1,093 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 0.8% in the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 368,454 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $49,752,000 after purchasing an additional 3,065 shares during the last quarter. Collective Family Office LLC grew its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 30.6% during the 4th quarter. Collective Family Office LLC now owns 5,272 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $646,000 after buying an additional 1,235 shares during the period. Fulton Bank N.A. raised its position in shares of Valero Energy by 4.6% in the 4th quarter. Fulton Bank N.A. now owns 13,355 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $1,637,000 after buying an additional 587 shares during the period. Finally, Douglas Lane & Associates LLC boosted its holdings in Valero Energy by 10.7% in the fourth quarter. Douglas Lane & Associates LLC now owns 30,528 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $3,742,000 after acquiring an additional 2,963 shares during the last quarter. 78.69% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have recently commented on VLO. Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on Valero Energy from $160.00 to $145.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $152.00 to $147.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 28th. UBS Group dropped their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $160.00 to $150.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 28th. Raymond James lowered their target price on Valero Energy from $165.00 to $155.00 and set a "strong-buy" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on Valero Energy from $160.00 to $159.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Valero Energy currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $149.53.

Valero Energy Stock Performance

NYSE:VLO traded up $1.24 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $122.97. 2,167,258 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,022,168. The firm has a market capitalization of $38.51 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.50, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 0.98. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $120.15 and a 200 day moving average price of $128.47. Valero Energy Co. has a twelve month low of $99.00 and a twelve month high of $167.78. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a current ratio of 1.57 and a quick ratio of 1.11.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The oil and gas company reported $0.89 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.16 by ($0.27). Valero Energy had a net margin of 2.13% and a return on equity of 9.58%. The company had revenue of $28.76 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $28.54 billion. The firm's quarterly revenue was down 4.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $3.82 EPS. On average, analysts expect that Valero Energy Co. will post 7.92 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 18th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, May 20th will be issued a dividend of $1.13 per share. This represents a $4.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.68%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, May 20th. Valero Energy's dividend payout ratio is 159.72%.

Valero Energy Profile

Valero Energy Corporation manufactures, markets, and sells petroleum-based and low-carbon liquid transportation fuels and petrochemical products in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Latin America, Mexico, Peru, and internationally. It operates through three segments: Refining, Renewable Diesel, and Ethanol.