American Century Companies Inc. Raises Holdings in Valero Energy Corporation $VLO

Key Points

• American Century Companies Inc. increased its holdings in Valero Energy Corporation by 170.7% in the 1st quarter, owning approximately 0.06% of the company valued at $26.35 million as of their latest SEC filing.
• Valero Energy reported a net margin of 0.62% and earnings of $2.28 EPS, surpassing estimates by $0.62, with revenue down 13.3% year-over-year at $29.89 billion.
• Various analysts have raised their price targets for Valero Energy, with a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $154.47.

American Century Companies Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO - Free Report) by 170.7% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 199,518 shares of the oil and gas company's stock after buying an additional 125,812 shares during the quarter. American Century Companies Inc. owned approximately 0.06% of Valero Energy worth $26,350,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD boosted its stake in Valero Energy by 22.5% in the fourth quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 2,864,418 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $351,151,000 after acquiring an additional 525,255 shares in the last quarter. Pinebridge Investments L.P. boosted its stake in Valero Energy by 40.6% in the fourth quarter. Pinebridge Investments L.P. now owns 33,462 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $4,102,000 after acquiring an additional 9,664 shares in the last quarter. Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. boosted its stake in Valero Energy by 1.6% in the fourth quarter. Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. now owns 245,800 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $30,133,000 after acquiring an additional 3,800 shares in the last quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC boosted its stake in Valero Energy by 15.1% in the fourth quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC now owns 42,897 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $5,259,000 after acquiring an additional 5,639 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Susquehanna Fundamental Investments LLC acquired a new stake in Valero Energy in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $18,624,000. 78.69% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

VLO has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Raymond James Financial raised their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $155.00 to $172.00 and gave the stock a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 15th. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $145.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 16th. Barclays raised their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $140.00 to $141.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, May 12th. Evercore ISI initiated coverage on shares of Valero Energy in a report on Wednesday, June 18th. They issued an "in-line" rating and a $135.00 price target for the company. Finally, Citigroup cut shares of Valero Energy from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and raised their price target for the stock from $134.00 to $150.00 in a report on Wednesday, July 16th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $154.47.

Valero Energy Stock Up 3.5%

NYSE:VLO opened at $145.1990 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $45.11 billion, a P/E ratio of 60.50, a PEG ratio of 3.28 and a beta of 1.03. 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 price is $140.59 and its 200-day moving average price is $130.93. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38, a current ratio of 1.62 and a quick ratio of 1.11.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, July 24th. The oil and gas company reported $2.28 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.66 by $0.62. The firm had revenue of $29.89 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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 period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.71 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Valero Energy Corporation will post 7.92 EPS for the current year.

Valero Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, July 31st. This represents a $4.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.1%. Valero Energy's dividend payout ratio is 188.33%.

Valero Energy Company 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.

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