Venturi Wealth Management LLC Acquires 2,348 Shares of Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO)

Venturi Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO - Free Report) by 35.6% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 8,943 shares of the oil and gas company's stock after purchasing an additional 2,348 shares during the period. Venturi Wealth Management LLC's holdings in Valero Energy were worth $1,181,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in VLO. Wayfinding Financial LLC bought a new position in shares of Valero Energy during the first quarter valued at $26,000. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. raised its stake in Valero Energy by 156.6% during the first quarter. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. now owns 213 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 130 shares during the last quarter. Ameriflex Group Inc. bought a new position in Valero Energy during the fourth quarter worth $29,000. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Valero Energy during the first quarter worth $44,000. Finally, Transce3nd LLC acquired a new stake in Valero Energy in the fourth quarter worth $58,000. Institutional investors own 78.69% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently commented on the stock. Scotiabank dropped their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $156.00 to $136.00 and set a "sector outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 11th. TD Cowen cut shares of Valero Energy from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and raised their target price for the stock from $118.00 to $140.00 in a research report on Tuesday, July 22nd. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target 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. Raymond James Financial lifted their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $155.00 to $172.00 and gave the stock a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 15th. Finally, Evercore ISI began coverage on shares of Valero Energy in a research report on Wednesday, June 18th. They set an "in-line" rating and a $135.00 target price for the company. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $153.87.

Valero Energy Price Performance

Shares of Valero Energy stock traded up $1.69 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $142.03. 2,786,874 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,458,177. The firm has a market cap of $44.48 billion, a P/E ratio of 59.18, a PEG ratio of 2.91 and a beta of 1.00. Valero Energy Corporation 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 0.39, a current ratio of 1.56 and a quick ratio of 1.09. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $137.66 and a 200-day simple moving average of $130.84.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, July 24th. The oil and gas company reported $2.28 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.66 by $0.62. The company had revenue of $29.89 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $27 billion. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 5.74% and a net margin of 0.62%. The firm's quarterly revenue was down 13.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.71 earnings per share. 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 disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 2nd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, July 31st will be given a $1.13 dividend. This represents a $4.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.18%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, July 31st. Valero Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 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.