Stevens Capital Management LP Buys Shares of 3,678 Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO)

Key Points

• Stevens Capital Management LP invested approximately $486,000 in Valero Energy by acquiring 3,678 shares in the first quarter, marking a significant new position in the company.
• Valero Energy recently declared a quarterly dividend of $1.13 per share, with an expected annualized dividend yield of 3.18% and a payout ratio of 159.72%.
• Analysts have set a consensus target price of $153.87 for Valero Energy, with various ratings adjustments from firms like TD Cowen and Goldman Sachs indicating a mix of optimistic and cautious stances on the stock.

Stevens Capital Management LP bought a new stake in Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm bought 3,678 shares of the oil and gas company's stock, valued at approximately $486,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. LPL Financial LLC boosted its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 2.3% during the 4th quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 457,540 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $56,090,000 after acquiring an additional 10,195 shares in the last quarter. Modern Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Valero Energy during the fourth quarter worth about $180,000. Financial Counselors Inc. increased its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 2.8% in the fourth quarter. Financial Counselors Inc. now owns 3,897 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $478,000 after purchasing an additional 107 shares during the period. Ausdal Financial Partners Inc. increased its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 16.4% in the fourth quarter. Ausdal Financial Partners Inc. now owns 4,458 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $547,000 after purchasing an additional 629 shares during the period. Finally, Korea Investment CORP increased its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 23.2% during the fourth quarter. Korea Investment CORP now owns 251,769 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $30,864,000 after acquiring an additional 47,416 shares during the period. 78.69% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Valero Energy Price Performance

VLO traded down $3.89 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $140.84. 1,694,216 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,373,715. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $138.11 and a 200 day simple moving average of $131.10. Valero Energy Corporation has a 12-month low of $99.00 and a 12-month high of $167.78. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a current ratio of 1.62. The company has a market cap of $44.11 billion, a P/E ratio of 58.76, a PEG ratio of 3.39 and a beta of 1.00.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results 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 analyst estimates of $27 billion. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 5.76% and a net margin of 0.62%. Valero Energy's revenue for the quarter was down 13.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.71 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts forecast that Valero Energy Corporation will post 7.92 EPS for the current year.

Valero Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 2nd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, July 31st will be issued a dividend of $1.13 per share. This represents a $4.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.21%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, July 31st. Valero Energy's dividend payout ratio is presently 188.33%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on VLO. UBS Group lifted their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $164.00 to $165.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, July 25th. Piper Sandler raised their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $159.00 to $168.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday. Evercore ISI started coverage on shares of Valero Energy in a report on Wednesday, June 18th. They set an "in-line" rating and a $135.00 price target on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target 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. Finally, Citigroup lowered shares of Valero Energy from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and raised their price target for the company from $134.00 to $150.00 in a research report on Wednesday, July 16th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $154.47.

About Valero Energy

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.