Smithbridge Asset Management Inc. DE purchased a new position in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm purchased 11,961 shares of the oil and gas company's stock, valued at approximately $1,580,000.
Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in VLO. Essex Financial Services Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 40.8% in the fourth quarter. Essex Financial Services Inc. now owns 4,526 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $555,000 after buying an additional 1,312 shares in the last quarter. Stonebridge Financial Group LLC bought a new stake in Valero Energy during the fourth quarter valued at $91,000. Van ECK Associates Corp grew its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 9.1% during the fourth quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 223,016 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $27,340,000 after purchasing an additional 18,623 shares in the last quarter. MFG Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new position in Valero Energy in the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,041,000. Finally, Park Capital Management LLC WI bought a new position in Valero Energy in the fourth quarter valued at $467,000. 78.69% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.
Valero Energy Stock Up 0.4%
Shares of NYSE VLO traded up $0.54 on Friday, reaching $134.04. 3,758,276 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,034,577. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $121.69 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $127.60. Valero Energy Co. has a 12 month low of $99.00 and a 12 month high of $167.78. The company has a market cap of $41.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.81, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 0.99. The company has a quick ratio of 1.11, a current ratio of 1.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35.
Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 24th. The oil and gas company reported $0.89 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.16 by ($0.27). Valero Energy had a net margin of 2.13% and a return on equity of 9.58%. The company had revenue of $28.76 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $28.54 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $3.82 EPS. The firm's quarterly revenue was down 4.7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Valero Energy Co. will post 7.92 EPS for the current fiscal year.
Valero Energy Dividend Announcement
The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 18th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, May 20th will be paid a $1.13 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, May 20th. This represents a $4.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.37%. Valero Energy's dividend payout ratio is currently 159.72%.
Analysts Set New Price Targets
A number of research analysts recently commented on the company. Mizuho increased their target price on Valero Energy from $158.00 to $166.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 13th. Raymond James decreased their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $165.00 to $155.00 and set a "strong-buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. Scotiabank cut their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $156.00 to $136.00 and set a "sector outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 11th. TD Cowen dropped their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $121.00 to $118.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Friday, April 25th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on Valero Energy from $152.00 to $147.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 28th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Valero Energy has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $151.93.
Check Out Our Latest Report on VLO
About Valero Energy
(
Free Report)
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.
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