Aigen Investment Management LP Takes Position in Valero Energy Corporation $VLO

Key Points

• Aigen Investment Management LP purchased 2,032 shares of Valero Energy Corporation, valued at approximately $268,000, signaling institutional interest in the oil and gas sector.
• Valero Energy's stock closed up 0.7% at $136.73, with recent trading volumes lower than its average, while the company boasts a market cap of $42.48 billion.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $1.13 per share, with an annualized total of $4.52 and a yield of 3.3%, despite having a high dividend payout ratio of 188.33%.

Aigen Investment Management LP purchased a new stake in shares of Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor purchased 2,032 shares of the oil and gas company's stock, valued at approximately $268,000.

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in VLO. Wayfinding Financial LLC purchased a new stake in Valero Energy in the first quarter worth $26,000. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. increased its stake in Valero Energy by 156.6% in the first quarter. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. now owns 213 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 130 shares during the period. Ameriflex Group Inc. purchased a new stake in Valero Energy in the fourth quarter worth $29,000. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Valero Energy in the first quarter worth $44,000. Finally, Hemington Wealth Management increased its stake in Valero Energy by 39.9% in the first quarter. Hemington Wealth Management now owns 333 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $43,000 after purchasing an additional 95 shares during the period. 78.69% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have commented on VLO. UBS Group upped their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $164.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, July 25th. Mizuho upped their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $158.00 to $166.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 13th. Citigroup downgraded shares of Valero Energy from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and upped their target price for the stock from $134.00 to $150.00 in a research note on Wednesday, July 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped 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 note on Monday, April 28th. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $145.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 16th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Valero Energy has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $154.47.

Valero Energy Stock Up 1.0%

VLO traded up $1.3150 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $138.1250. The stock had a trading volume of 428,992 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,284,884. The company has a market capitalization of $42.91 billion, a PE ratio of 57.63, a PEG ratio of 3.24 and a beta of 1.03. Valero Energy Corporation has a twelve month low of $99.00 and a twelve month high of $155.12. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a current ratio of 1.62. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $139.99 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $130.77.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 24th. The oil and gas company reported $2.28 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.66 by $0.62. The business had revenue of $29.89 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $27 billion. Valero Energy had a net margin of 0.62% and a return on equity of 5.76%. The business's quarterly revenue was down 13.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $2.71 earnings per share. On average, research analysts predict that Valero Energy Corporation will post 7.92 earnings per share for the current year.

Valero Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 2nd. Investors of record on Thursday, July 31st will be issued a dividend of $1.13 per share. This represents a $4.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, July 31st. Valero Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 188.33%.

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.