United Super Pty Ltd in its capacity as Trustee for the Construction & Building Unions Superannuation Fund Invests $766,000 in Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO)

Key Points

• United Super Pty Ltd acquired 5,800 shares of Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE: VLO) during the 1st quarter, valued at approximately $766,000.
• Valero's stock has seen a price target increase by analysts, with Citigroup raising it to $150, despite a downgrade from a "buy" to a "neutral" rating.
• The company will pay a quarterly dividend of $1.13 on September 2nd, resulting in a 3.4% dividend yield.

United Super Pty Ltd in its capacity as Trustee for the Construction & Building Unions Superannuation Fund bought a new stake in shares of Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor bought 5,800 shares of the oil and gas company's stock, valued at approximately $766,000.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in VLO. World Investment Advisors raised its stake in Valero Energy by 1.8% during the fourth quarter. World Investment Advisors now owns 4,323 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $530,000 after buying an additional 78 shares in the last quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC raised its position in shares of Valero Energy by 4.6% during the 1st quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 2,012 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $266,000 after acquiring an additional 89 shares in the last quarter. Field & Main Bank lifted its stake in Valero Energy by 1.2% during the first quarter. Field & Main Bank now owns 7,982 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $1,054,000 after purchasing an additional 97 shares during the last quarter. Heritage Wealth Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Valero Energy by 0.5% in the first quarter. Heritage Wealth Management Inc. now owns 19,349 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $2,555,000 after purchasing an additional 97 shares during the period. Finally, KCM Investment Advisors LLC increased its stake in Valero Energy by 1.8% during the fourth quarter. KCM Investment Advisors LLC now owns 5,497 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $674,000 after purchasing an additional 99 shares during the last quarter. 78.69% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on VLO shares. Evercore ISI assumed coverage on shares of Valero Energy in a report on Wednesday, June 18th. They issued an "in-line" rating and a $135.00 target price on the stock. Citigroup lowered Valero Energy from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and boosted their price objective for the company from $134.00 to $150.00 in a research report on Wednesday, July 16th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective 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. Wolfe Research cut shares of Valero Energy from an "outperform" rating to a "peer perform" rating in a research note on Monday, July 14th. Finally, Mizuho lifted their price target on Valero Energy from $158.00 to $166.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 13th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $154.47.

Valero Energy Stock Up 1.5%

Shares of VLO traded up $1.98 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $135.16. 2,920,296 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,402,946. The firm's 50 day moving average is $138.61 and its 200-day moving average is $131.07. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a current ratio of 1.62. Valero Energy Corporation has a 52 week low of $99.00 and a 52 week high of $155.12. The company has a market cap of $41.99 billion, a PE ratio of 56.32, a PEG ratio of 3.12 and a beta of 1.03.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly 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. Valero Energy had a net margin of 0.62% and a return on equity of 5.76%. The company had revenue of $29.89 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $27 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.71 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was down 13.3% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Valero Energy Corporation will post 7.92 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Dividend Announcement

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. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, July 31st. This represents a $4.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.3%. Valero Energy's payout ratio is 188.33%.

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.