Valero Energy Corporation $VLO Shares Bought by Mariner Investment Group LLC

Mariner Investment Group LLC grew its stake in shares of Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO - Free Report) by 20.0% in the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 15,000 shares of the oil and gas company's stock after acquiring an additional 2,500 shares during the period. Valero Energy comprises about 0.7% of Mariner Investment Group LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 18th largest holding. Mariner Investment Group LLC's holdings in Valero Energy were worth $2,016,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Wayfinding Financial LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Valero Energy during the 1st quarter valued at $26,000. Hoey Investments Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Valero Energy during the 2nd quarter valued at $26,000. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. lifted its position in shares of Valero Energy by 156.6% during the 1st quarter. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. now owns 213 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 130 shares during the last quarter. Ameriflex Group Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Valero Energy during the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. Finally, Hemington Wealth Management raised its stake in Valero Energy by 39.9% during the 1st quarter. Hemington Wealth Management now owns 333 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $43,000 after purchasing an additional 95 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.69% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have issued reports on VLO shares. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $151.00 to $168.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 9th. UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $165.00 to $183.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, September 22nd. Citigroup downgraded shares of Valero Energy from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and boosted their target price for the company from $134.00 to $150.00 in a research note on Wednesday, July 16th. Mizuho boosted their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $166.00 to $190.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, September 15th. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $145.00 to $160.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 16th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $165.00.

Valero Energy Trading Up 0.7%

NYSE VLO opened at $175.72 on Friday. Valero Energy Corporation has a 1-year low of $99.00 and a 1-year high of $178.43. The company has a current ratio of 1.62, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38. The company has a market capitalization of $54.59 billion, a PE ratio of 73.22, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.84 and a beta of 1.10. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $148.97 and its 200-day simple moving average is $135.61.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly 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. Valero Energy had a net margin of 0.62% and a return on equity of 5.76%. The business had revenue of $29.89 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $27 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $2.71 earnings per share. Valero Energy's revenue for the quarter was down 13.3% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Valero Energy Corporation will post 7.92 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 2nd. Investors of record on Thursday, July 31st were issued a $1.13 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, July 31st. This represents a $4.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.6%. Valero Energy's dividend payout ratio is currently 188.33%.

Valero Energy Company 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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