MBB Public Markets I LLC Takes Position in Valero Energy Corporation $VLO

Key Points

• MBB Public Markets I LLC acquired 2,368 shares of Valero Energy Corporation for approximately $313,000, indicating strong institutional interest in the stock.
• Valero Energy's stock price has recently shown an increase of 2.8%, with the company reporting earnings per share of $2.28, surpassing estimates of $1.66.
• Analysts project a consensus target price of $156.73 for Valero Energy, with recent upgrades from firms like Bank of America raising their price target to $179.00.

MBB Public Markets I LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor purchased 2,368 shares of the oil and gas company's stock, valued at approximately $313,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in VLO. Pinnacle Wealth Planning Services Inc. raised its stake in Valero Energy by 1.4% during the first quarter. Pinnacle Wealth Planning Services Inc. now owns 5,541 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $732,000 after purchasing an additional 78 shares during the period. Summit Financial LLC raised its stake in Valero Energy by 4.6% during the first quarter. Summit Financial LLC now owns 1,812 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $239,000 after purchasing an additional 79 shares during the period. Keeley Teton Advisors LLC raised its stake in Valero Energy by 1.1% during the first quarter. Keeley Teton Advisors LLC now owns 7,764 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $1,025,000 after purchasing an additional 81 shares during the period. Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI raised its stake in Valero Energy by 2.2% during the first quarter. Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI now owns 3,798 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $502,000 after purchasing an additional 82 shares during the period. Finally, Proficio Capital Partners LLC raised its stake in Valero Energy by 4.6% during the first quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 2,012 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $266,000 after purchasing an additional 89 shares during the period. 78.69% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Valero Energy Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:VLO traded down $0.81 on Friday, reaching $156.78. 1,642,612 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,390,270. The firm has a market cap of $48.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 65.33, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.85 and a beta of 1.10. Valero Energy Corporation has a 1-year low of $99.00 and a 1-year high of $163.02. The company has a 50-day moving average of $145.24 and a 200-day moving average of $132.89. 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 (NYSE:VLO - Get Free Report) last issued 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 firm had revenue of $29.89 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $27 billion. Valero Energy had a net margin of 0.62% and a return on equity of 5.76%. The firm's revenue was down 13.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $2.71 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that Valero Energy Corporation will post 7.92 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 2nd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, July 31st were paid a dividend of $1.13 per share. This represents a $4.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, July 31st. Valero Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 188.33%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on VLO shares. UBS Group boosted their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $164.00 to $165.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, July 25th. Wolfe Research downgraded shares of Valero Energy from an "outperform" rating to a "peer perform" rating in a research report on Monday, July 14th. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $145.00 to $160.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 16th. TD Cowen downgraded shares of Valero Energy from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and upped their price target for the company from $118.00 to $140.00 in a research report on Tuesday, July 22nd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $151.00 to $168.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 9th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $158.87.

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.