Park Avenue Securities LLC Boosts Holdings in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Park Avenue Securities LLC raised its position in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO - Free Report) by 18.2% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 16,220 shares of the oil and gas company's stock after purchasing an additional 2,502 shares during the period. Park Avenue Securities LLC's holdings in Valero Energy were worth $2,142,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. boosted its stake in Valero Energy by 0.4% during the fourth quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. now owns 123,356 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $14,751,000 after buying an additional 455 shares during the last quarter. Patten Group Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Valero Energy during the 4th quarter worth $277,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 4.0% in the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 10,701,232 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $1,311,864,000 after purchasing an additional 413,963 shares during the period. Sendero Wealth Management LLC increased its position in Valero Energy by 11.0% during the first quarter. Sendero Wealth Management LLC now owns 20,198 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $2,668,000 after purchasing an additional 2,000 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its stake in Valero Energy by 23.0% during the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 16,056 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $1,920,000 after purchasing an additional 3,004 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.69% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts recently weighed in on the company. TD Cowen lowered their price objective on Valero Energy from $121.00 to $118.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 25th. Mizuho upped their price objective on Valero Energy from $158.00 to $166.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 13th. UBS Group reduced their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $160.00 to $150.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 28th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised shares of Valero Energy from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $127.00 to $154.00 in a research report on Tuesday, May 13th. Finally, Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on Valero Energy from $160.00 to $145.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 24th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $151.93.

Valero Energy Stock Performance

Shares of VLO traded down $1.17 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $132.89. 539,488 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,027,208. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $121.14 and its 200-day simple moving average is $127.64. The stock has a market capitalization of $41.62 billion, a PE ratio of 15.67, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 0.99. Valero Energy Co. has a 52-week low of $99.00 and a 52-week high of $167.78. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a current ratio of 1.57 and a quick ratio of 1.11.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results 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 business had revenue of $28.76 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $28.54 billion. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 9.58% and a net margin of 2.13%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was down 4.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $3.82 EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that Valero Energy Co. will post 7.92 earnings per share for the current year.

Valero Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 18th. Investors of record on Tuesday, May 20th will be given a $1.13 dividend. This represents a $4.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.40%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, May 20th. Valero Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 159.72%.

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.