Berger Financial Group Inc Boosts Stock Position in Valero Energy Corporation $VLO

Key Points

• Berger Financial Group sharply increased its Valero Energy stake by 557.9% in Q1, ending with 39,715 shares valued at about $9.8 million.
• Valero reported stronger-than-expected quarterly results, with EPS of $4.22 versus estimates of $3.16 and revenue of $32.38 billion, up 7% year over year.
• The company paid a quarterly dividend of $1.20 per share and recently saw an insider sale, as SVP Eric A. Fisher sold 7,500 shares in late June.

Berger Financial Group Inc boosted its position in Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO - Free Report) by 557.9% in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 39,715 shares of the oil and gas company's stock after purchasing an additional 33,678 shares during the quarter. Berger Financial Group Inc's holdings in Valero Energy were worth $9,813,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. NBT Bank N A NY lifted its position in Valero Energy by 28.9% during the first quarter. NBT Bank N A NY now owns 597 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $148,000 after acquiring an additional 134 shares during the last quarter. FUKOKU MUTUAL LIFE INSURANCE Co acquired a new position in shares of Valero Energy during the first quarter worth $290,000. Northstar Group Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Valero Energy during the 1st quarter valued at $222,000. Koshinski Asset Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 1.1% during the 1st quarter. Koshinski Asset Management Inc. now owns 5,728 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $1,415,000 after purchasing an additional 61 shares during the last quarter. Finally, V Square Quantitative Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Valero Energy by 0.6% in the 1st quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 6,670 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $1,648,000 after purchasing an additional 42 shares in the last quarter. 78.69% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Valero Energy Stock Up 0.1%

Valero Energy stock opened at $267.99 on Friday. Valero Energy Corporation has a 52 week low of $130.78 and a 52 week high of $274.92. The firm has a market cap of $79.57 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.48, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.37 and a beta of 0.55. The business's 50-day moving average price is $249.73 and its 200 day moving average price is $220.63. The company has a quick ratio of 1.15, a current ratio of 1.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The oil and gas company reported $4.22 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.16 by $1.06. Valero Energy had a net margin of 3.37% and a return on equity of 15.94%. The firm had revenue of $32.38 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $31.38 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.89 EPS. The business's quarterly revenue was up 7.0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Valero Energy Corporation will post 28.37 earnings per share for the current year.

Valero Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 23rd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 21st were given a dividend of $1.20 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, May 21st. This represents a $4.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.8%. Valero Energy's dividend payout ratio is currently 34.88%.

Insider Transactions at Valero Energy

In related news, SVP Eric A. Fisher sold 7,500 shares of Valero Energy stock in a transaction on Monday, June 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $268.17, for a total value of $2,011,275.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president owned 19,742 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,294,212.14. This trade represents a 27.53% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.36% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have commented on VLO shares. Weiss Ratings upgraded Valero Energy from a "hold (c)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Mizuho upped their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $222.00 to $289.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 27th. Wolfe Research reaffirmed an "underperform" rating and issued a $203.00 price objective on shares of Valero Energy in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. Scotiabank lifted their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $178.00 to $226.00 and gave the stock a "sector outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 22nd. Finally, UBS Group reissued a "buy" rating and set a $280.00 target price on shares of Valero Energy in a research report on Thursday, June 11th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating, eight have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Valero Energy currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $247.59.

Valero Energy Company Profile

Valero Energy Corporation is a San Antonio, Texas–based integrated downstream energy company that manufactures and markets transportation fuels, petrochemical feedstocks and other industrial products. The company's operations focus on refining crude oil into finished fuels such as gasoline, diesel and jet fuel, as well as producing asphalt and other refined product streams for commercial and industrial customers.

In addition to refining, Valero has significant operations in renewable fuels, including the production of ethanol and other biofuels, and it manages an extensive logistics network of pipelines, terminals, rail and marine assets to move feedstocks and finished products.

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