Praxis Investment Management Inc. Has $2.89 Million Stock Position in Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO)

Praxis Investment Management Inc. grew its position in Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO - Free Report) by 35.0% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 21,890 shares of the oil and gas company's stock after purchasing an additional 5,680 shares during the period. Praxis Investment Management Inc.'s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $2,891,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in VLO. Ameriflex Group Inc. bought a new position in shares of Valero Energy in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. OFI Invest Asset Management acquired a new stake in Valero Energy during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $37,000. Millstone Evans Group LLC acquired a new stake in Valero Energy during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $44,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. acquired a new stake in Valero Energy during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $52,000. Finally, Transce3nd LLC acquired a new stake in Valero Energy during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $58,000. 78.69% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently commented on VLO. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $152.00 to $147.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 28th. TD Cowen cut their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $121.00 to $118.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Morgan Stanley cut their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $160.00 to $145.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. UBS Group cut their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $160.00 to $150.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 28th. Finally, Piper Sandler reduced their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $144.00 to $140.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, May 9th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $150.88.

Valero Energy Stock Up 1.2%

Valero Energy stock traded up $1.74 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $141.16. The company had a trading volume of 5,438,642 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,041,553. The firm has a market capitalization of $44.21 billion, a P/E ratio of 49.88, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.46 and a beta of 0.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a current ratio of 1.56 and a quick ratio of 1.09. The firm's fifty day moving average is $125.11 and its 200-day moving average is $127.56. Valero Energy Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $99.00 and a fifty-two week high of $167.78.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 24th. The oil and gas company reported $0.89 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.16 by ($0.27). The company had revenue of $28.76 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $28.54 billion. Valero Energy had a net margin of 0.72% and a return on equity of 6.30%. The firm's quarterly revenue was down 4.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $3.82 EPS. On average, research analysts forecast that Valero Energy Corporation will post 7.92 earnings per share for the current year.

Valero Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, June 18th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, May 20th were paid a dividend of $1.13 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, May 20th. This represents a $4.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.20%. Valero Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 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.