Bayforest Capital Ltd Purchases New Shares in Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO)

Key Points

• Bayforest Capital Ltd has acquired a new stake in Valero Energy Corporation, purchasing 4,237 shares valued at approximately $560,000 during the first quarter.
• Valero Energy recently reported an earnings per share of $2.28 for the last quarter, exceeding analyst estimates of $1.66, despite a year-over-year revenue decline of 13.3%.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $1.13, which will be paid on September 2, with a current payout ratio of 188.33% and an annual yield of 3.24%.

Bayforest Capital Ltd acquired a new stake in Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm acquired 4,237 shares of the oil and gas company's stock, valued at approximately $560,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. RWA Wealth Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 9.3% during the 4th quarter. RWA Wealth Partners LLC now owns 2,102 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $258,000 after buying an additional 179 shares during the last quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. raised its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 0.7% during the 4th quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 483,740 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $59,302,000 after buying an additional 3,456 shares during the last quarter. HighPoint Advisor Group LLC raised its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 7.6% during the 4th quarter. HighPoint Advisor Group LLC now owns 4,666 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $572,000 after buying an additional 329 shares during the last quarter. StoneX Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 2.2% during the 4th quarter. StoneX Group Inc. now owns 16,384 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $2,009,000 after buying an additional 350 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 1.5% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 6,871,229 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $844,775,000 after buying an additional 100,248 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.69% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently issued reports on VLO. Citigroup downgraded Valero Energy from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $134.00 to $150.00 in a research note on Wednesday, July 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $152.00 to $147.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 28th. Evercore ISI began coverage on shares of Valero Energy in a research note on Wednesday, June 18th. They issued an "in-line" rating and a $135.00 target price for the company. Wolfe Research cut Valero Energy from an "outperform" rating to a "peer perform" rating in a report on Monday, July 14th. Finally, UBS Group lifted their price target on Valero Energy from $164.00 to $165.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, July 25th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $154.47.

Valero Energy Stock Performance

Shares of VLO stock traded down $4.14 on Friday, hitting $133.17. 2,250,348 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,290,427. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38, a current ratio of 1.62 and a quick ratio of 1.11. The company has a market capitalization of $41.71 billion, a PE ratio of 55.49, a PEG ratio of 3.22 and a beta of 1.00. Valero Energy Corporation has a 1-year low of $99.00 and a 1-year high of $155.12. The company's fifty day moving average is $138.61 and its 200 day moving average is $131.17.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 24th. The oil and gas company reported $2.28 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.66 by $0.62. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 5.76% and a net margin of 0.62%. The company had revenue of $29.89 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $27 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.71 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was down 13.3% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts predict that Valero Energy Corporation will post 7.92 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 Tuesday, September 2nd. Investors of record on Thursday, July 31st will be paid a dividend of $1.13 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, July 31st. This represents a $4.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.4%. Valero Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 188.33%.

About Valero Energy

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.