6,477 Shares in Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO) Acquired by Cutter & CO Brokerage Inc.

Cutter & CO Brokerage Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 6,477 shares of the oil and gas company's stock, valued at approximately $855,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Wayfinding Financial LLC acquired a new position in Valero Energy in the first quarter worth about $26,000. Ameriflex Group Inc. bought a new stake in Valero Energy in the fourth quarter worth $29,000. Millstone Evans Group LLC acquired a new position in Valero Energy during the 4th quarter worth $44,000. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Valero Energy in the first quarter worth about $44,000. Finally, Transce3nd LLC bought a new stake in Valero Energy during the fourth quarter worth about $58,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.69% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have issued reports on VLO. The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded shares of Valero Energy from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and lifted their price target for the company from $127.00 to $154.00 in a research note on Tuesday, May 13th. Raymond James Financial raised their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $155.00 to $172.00 and gave the company a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $151.00 to $168.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 9th. UBS Group boosted their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $150.00 to $164.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 8th. Finally, Mizuho lifted their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $158.00 to $166.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 13th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $153.94.

Valero Energy Stock Performance

NYSE VLO traded up $1.07 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $144.26. 521,047 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,083,086. Valero Energy Corporation has a 52 week low of $99.00 and a 52 week high of $167.78. The firm has a market capitalization of $45.18 billion, a P/E ratio of 51.03, a P/E/G ratio of 2.55 and a beta of 1.00. The business's fifty day moving average price is $135.73 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $129.74. The company has a current ratio of 1.56, a quick ratio of 1.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 24th. The oil and gas company reported $0.89 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.16 by ($0.27). The firm had revenue of $28.76 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $28.54 billion. Valero Energy had a net margin of 0.72% and a return on equity of 6.30%. The company's revenue was down 4.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $3.82 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Valero Energy Corporation will post 7.92 EPS for the current year.

Valero Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, June 18th. Investors of record on Tuesday, May 20th were paid a $1.13 dividend. This represents a $4.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.13%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, May 20th. Valero Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 159.72%.

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.