Lombard Odier Asset Management Switzerland SA Makes New $889,000 Investment in Valero Energy Corporation $VLO

Key Points

• Lombard Odier Asset Management purchased 3,599 Valero Energy shares worth approximately $889,000 in the first quarter. Institutional investors collectively own 78.69% of VLO.
• Valero reported quarterly earnings of $4.22 per share, exceeding estimates of $3.16, while revenue rose 7% year over year to $32.38 billion.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $1.20 per share, equivalent to $4.80 annually and a 1.6% yield. Analysts maintain a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating with an average price target of $266.71.

Lombard Odier Asset Management Switzerland SA bought a new position in Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor bought 3,599 shares of the oil and gas company's stock, valued at approximately $889,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of VLO. V Square Quantitative Management LLC grew its position in Valero Energy by 0.6% during the 1st quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 6,670 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $1,648,000 after purchasing an additional 42 shares during the last quarter. CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC raised its holdings in Valero Energy by 5.5% in the fourth quarter. CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC now owns 975 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $159,000 after buying an additional 51 shares during the last quarter. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC lifted its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 32.9% in the fourth quarter. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC now owns 206 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 51 shares in the last quarter. Providence Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 0.5% in the fourth quarter. Providence Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 9,610 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $1,564,000 after buying an additional 52 shares in the last quarter. Finally, KPP Advisory Services LLC grew its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 2.5% during the first quarter. KPP Advisory Services LLC now owns 2,156 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $533,000 after buying an additional 52 shares during the last quarter. 78.69% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Valero Energy

In other news, SVP Eric A. Fisher sold 7,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, June 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $268.17, for a total value of $2,011,275.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 19,742 shares in the company, valued at $5,294,212.14. This trade represents a 27.53% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 0.36% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Valero Energy Stock Performance

Shares of VLO stock opened at $304.99 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.15, a current ratio of 1.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $266.16 and a 200-day moving average price of $235.67. Valero Energy Corporation has a 52 week low of $130.78 and a 52 week high of $320.24. The firm has a market capitalization of $90.56 billion, a PE ratio of 22.16, a P/E/G ratio of 0.20 and a beta of 0.55.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The oil and gas company reported $4.22 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $3.16 by $1.06. Valero Energy had a net margin of 3.37% and a return on equity of 15.94%. The company had revenue of $32.38 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $31.38 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.89 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 7.0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Valero Energy Corporation will post 36.46 earnings per share for the current year.

Valero Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, July 31st will be issued a dividend of $1.20 per share. This represents a $4.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, July 31st. Valero Energy's dividend payout ratio is presently 34.88%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on VLO shares. Raymond James Financial raised their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $300.00 to $340.00 and gave the company a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Monday, July 13th. TD Cowen increased their target price on Valero Energy from $292.00 to $338.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 21st. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on Valero Energy from $220.00 to $292.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 31st. Wolfe Research restated an "underperform" rating and issued a $203.00 price target on shares of Valero Energy in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised Valero Energy from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Saturday, April 4th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $266.71.

About Valero Energy

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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