Candriam S.C.A. Acquires 6,108 Shares of Valero Energy Corporation $VLO

Key Points

• Candriam S.C.A. increased its holdings in Valero Energy Corporation by 5.9%, acquiring an additional 6,108 shares, bringing its total to 108,922 shares valued at approximately $14.39 million.
• Valero Energy reported an impressive earnings performance for the last quarter with an EPS of $2.28, significantly surpassing analysts' expectations of $1.66.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $1.13, set to be paid on September 2nd, representing an annualized yield of 3.2% despite a high dividend payout ratio of 188.33%.

Candriam S.C.A. raised its holdings in shares of Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO - Free Report) by 5.9% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 108,922 shares of the oil and gas company's stock after purchasing an additional 6,108 shares during the period. Candriam S.C.A.'s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $14,385,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in VLO. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Valero Energy by 12.0% during the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 38,881,222 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $5,135,043,000 after purchasing an additional 4,155,522 shares in the last quarter. Nuveen LLC purchased a new stake in Valero Energy in the first quarter valued at $529,864,000. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its holdings in Valero Energy by 15,395.5% in the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,355,699 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $179,047,000 after purchasing an additional 1,346,950 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. boosted its holdings in Valero Energy by 34.1% in the first quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 4,905,145 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $647,823,000 after purchasing an additional 1,247,196 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH purchased a new stake in shares of Valero Energy during the 4th quarter worth about $98,376,000. 78.69% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

VLO has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Raymond James Financial increased their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $155.00 to $172.00 and gave the stock a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 15th. TD Cowen lowered shares of Valero Energy from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and increased their target price for the stock from $118.00 to $140.00 in a research note on Tuesday, July 22nd. Evercore ISI initiated coverage on shares of Valero Energy in a research note on Wednesday, June 18th. They set an "in-line" rating and a $135.00 target price on the stock. Morgan Stanley increased 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. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $151.00 to $168.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 9th. Two equities research 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's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Valero Energy has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $154.47.

Valero Energy Trading Up 1.8%

Shares of Valero Energy stock opened at $140.4310 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $43.63 billion, a PE ratio of 58.51, a P/E/G ratio of 3.22 and a beta of 1.03. The company has a current ratio of 1.62, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38. Valero Energy Corporation has a twelve month low of $99.00 and a twelve month high of $155.12. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $140.23 and its 200 day moving average price is $130.89.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data 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. The company had revenue of $29.89 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $27 billion. Valero Energy had a net margin of 0.62% and a return on equity of 5.76%. Valero Energy's quarterly revenue was down 13.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.71 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Valero Energy Corporation will post 7.92 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm 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 $1.13 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, July 31st. This represents a $4.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.2%. Valero Energy's dividend payout ratio is presently 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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