6,558 Shares in Valero Energy Corporation $VLO Bought by FORA Capital LLC

Key Points

• FORA Capital LLC acquired 6,558 shares of Valero Energy Corporation, valued at approximately $866,000, during the first quarter.
• Multiple hedge funds, including Price T Rowe Associates and Vanguard Group, significantly increased their stakes in Valero Energy, indicating strong institutional interest.
• Analysts have mixed ratings for Valero Energy, with two Strong Buy ratings, along with revised target prices ranging up to $165.00 from brokerages like Goldman Sachs and UBS Group.

FORA Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm bought 6,558 shares of the oil and gas company's stock, valued at approximately $866,000.

Other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Wayfinding Financial LLC bought a new position in shares of Valero Energy during the first quarter worth approximately $26,000. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. increased its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 156.6% during 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. bought a new position in shares of Valero Energy during the fourth quarter worth approximately $29,000. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Valero Energy during the first quarter worth approximately $44,000. Finally, Hemington Wealth Management increased its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 39.9% during 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. Institutional investors own 78.69% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have commented on VLO shares. The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded Valero Energy from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $127.00 to $154.00 in a research note on Tuesday, May 13th. UBS Group raised their price objective on Valero Energy from $164.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, July 25th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on Valero Energy from $151.00 to $168.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 9th. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on Valero Energy from $145.00 to $160.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 16th. Finally, Wolfe Research downgraded Valero Energy from an "outperform" rating to a "peer perform" rating in a report on Monday, July 14th. Two 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. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $154.47.

Valero Energy Price Performance

Shares of NYSE VLO traded up $0.67 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $152.68. 641,604 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,223,075. 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 Corporation has a twelve month low of $99.00 and a twelve month high of $155.12. The company has a market cap of $47.43 billion, a PE ratio of 63.36, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.55 and a beta of 1.10. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $141.87 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $131.51.

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 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.66 by $0.62. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 5.76% and a net margin of 0.62%.The company had revenue of $29.89 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $27 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.71 EPS. Valero Energy's revenue for the quarter was down 13.3% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Valero Energy Corporation will post 7.92 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 2nd. Investors of record on Thursday, July 31st will be given a dividend of $1.13 per share. This represents a $4.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, July 31st. Valero Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 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.