Valero Energy Corporation $VLO Shares Acquired by Shell Asset Management Co.

Key Points

• Shell Asset Management Co. increased its holdings in Valero Energy Corporation by 29.5%, acquiring an additional 2,867 shares and bringing its total ownership to 12,587 shares valued at approximately $1.69 million.
• Valero Energy reported an EPS of $2.28 for the latest quarter, significantly exceeding analysts' expectations of $1.66, despite a 13.3% year-over-year revenue decline.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $1.13 per share, resulting in an annual yield of 2.8%, indicating a high dividend payout ratio of 188.33%.

Shell Asset Management Co. lifted its position in shares of Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO - Free Report) by 29.5% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 12,587 shares of the oil and gas company's stock after purchasing an additional 2,867 shares during the period. Shell Asset Management Co.'s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $1,692,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Hoey Investments Inc. acquired a new stake in Valero Energy in the second quarter valued at $26,000. Wayfinding Financial LLC bought a new stake in Valero Energy during the first quarter valued at $26,000. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. increased 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 valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 130 shares during the last quarter. Ransom Advisory Ltd bought a new stake in Valero Energy during the first quarter valued at $43,000. Finally, Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Valero Energy during the first quarter worth about $44,000. 78.69% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Valero Energy Trading Down 0.5%

NYSE:VLO opened at $162.41 on Thursday. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $152.45 and its 200 day moving average price is $137.53. Valero Energy Corporation has a 52 week low of $99.00 and a 52 week high of $178.43. The company has a market capitalization of $50.45 billion, a P/E ratio of 67.67, a P/E/G ratio of 1.74 and a beta of 1.05. 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 (NYSE:VLO - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 24th. The oil and gas company reported $2.28 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.66 by $0.62. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 5.76% and a net margin of 0.62%.The firm had revenue of $29.89 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $27 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.71 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was down 13.3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts forecast that Valero Energy Corporation will post 7.92 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 2nd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, July 31st were issued a dividend of $1.13 per share. This represents a $4.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.8%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, July 31st. Valero Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 188.33%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently commented on VLO shares. Evercore ISI upped their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $135.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock an "in-line" rating in a research report on Friday, September 19th. Barclays raised their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $151.00 to $169.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday. Wolfe Research lowered shares of Valero Energy from an "outperform" rating to a "peer perform" rating in a research report on Monday, July 14th. Piper Sandler raised their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $171.00 to $200.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, September 11th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Valero Energy in a research report on Wednesday. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $168.07.

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.

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