Advisors Preferred LLC Takes $3.75 Million Position in Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO)

Advisors Preferred LLC bought a new position in shares of Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 28,036 shares of the oil and gas company's stock, valued at approximately $3,750,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Wayfinding Financial LLC purchased a new stake in Valero Energy in the first quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. increased its stake in Valero Energy by 156.6% during the first quarter. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. now owns 213 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 130 shares during the last quarter. Ameriflex Group Inc. bought a new stake in Valero Energy during the fourth quarter valued at $29,000. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Valero Energy during the first quarter valued at $44,000. Finally, North Capital Inc. bought a new position in shares of Valero Energy during the first quarter worth about $58,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.69% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Citigroup lowered shares of Valero Energy from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and increased their target price for the company from $134.00 to $150.00 in a research report on Wednesday, July 16th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised shares of Valero Energy from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and upped their price objective for the company from $127.00 to $154.00 in a research note on Tuesday, May 13th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $151.00 to $168.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 9th. TD Cowen lowered shares of Valero Energy from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and increased their price target for the stock from $118.00 to $140.00 in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, Raymond James Financial increased their price objective on Valero Energy from $155.00 to $172.00 and gave the stock a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 15th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $153.87.

Valero Energy Stock Performance

Shares of VLO traded up $1.69 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $142.03. The company's stock had a trading volume of 2,786,874 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,458,177. Valero Energy Corporation has a one year low of $99.00 and a one year high of $167.78. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a quick ratio of 1.09 and a current ratio of 1.56. The firm has a market capitalization of $44.48 billion, a PE ratio of 59.18, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.88 and a beta of 1.00. The stock's 50-day moving average is $137.66 and its two-hundred day moving average is $130.81.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, July 24th. The oil and gas company reported $2.28 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.66 by $0.62. The firm had revenue of $29.89 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $27 billion. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 5.74% and a net margin of 0.62%. Valero Energy's quarterly revenue was down 13.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business earned $2.71 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Valero Energy Corporation will post 7.92 EPS for the current year.

Valero Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 2nd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, July 31st will be issued a dividend of $1.13 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, July 31st. This represents a $4.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.18%. Valero Energy's payout ratio is presently 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.