Valero Energy Corporation $VLO Shares Bought by Kestra Advisory Services LLC

Key Points

• Kestra Advisory Services LLC increased its holdings in Valero Energy by 15.5% in Q1, owning nearly 50,000 shares worth approximately $6.6 million.
• Valero Energy reported earnings per share of $2.28 for its latest quarter, exceeding expectations of $1.66, while revenue fell 13.3% year-over-year.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $1.13, which translates to an annualized yield of 3.1%, with a significantly high dividend payout ratio of 188.33%.

Kestra Advisory Services LLC increased its stake in shares of Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO - Free Report) by 15.5% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 49,961 shares of the oil and gas company's stock after purchasing an additional 6,722 shares during the quarter. Kestra Advisory Services LLC's holdings in Valero Energy were worth $6,598,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Wayfinding Financial LLC bought a new stake in Valero Energy during the 1st quarter valued at $26,000. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. boosted its holdings in Valero Energy by 156.6% in the first quarter. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. now owns 213 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 130 shares in the last quarter. Ameriflex Group Inc. acquired a new stake in Valero Energy in the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Valero Energy during the first quarter worth $44,000. Finally, Hemington Wealth Management lifted 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 buying an additional 95 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 78.69% of the company's stock.

Valero Energy Trading Up 0.7%

NYSE:VLO traded up $1.11 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $152.27. 2,242,681 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,239,750. The company has a quick ratio of 1.11, a current ratio of 1.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38. The business has a 50-day moving average of $141.34 and a two-hundred day moving average of $131.29. Valero Energy Corporation has a twelve month low of $99.00 and a twelve month high of $155.12. The company has a market capitalization of $47.30 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 63.44, a PEG ratio of 3.52 and a beta of 1.03.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 24th. The oil and gas company reported $2.28 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.66 by $0.62. The company had revenue of $29.89 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $27 billion. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 5.76% and a net margin of 0.62%.The firm's revenue was down 13.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.71 earnings per share. On average, equities 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 will be paid on Tuesday, September 2nd. Investors 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 dividend yield of 3.0%. Valero Energy's payout ratio is 188.33%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

VLO has been the subject of several analyst reports. Raymond James Financial boosted 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 note on Tuesday, July 15th. UBS Group boosted 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. The Goldman Sachs Group raised Valero Energy from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and boosted their price objective for the stock from $127.00 to $154.00 in a research note on Tuesday, May 13th. Wolfe Research lowered Valero Energy from an "outperform" rating to a "peer perform" rating in a research note on Monday, July 14th. Finally, Evercore ISI started coverage on Valero Energy in a research note on Wednesday, June 18th. They set an "in-line" rating and a $135.00 price objective on the stock. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $154.47.

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.