Avantax Planning Partners Inc. grew its position in shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO – Free Report) by 13.8% during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 14,238 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,730 shares during the period. Avantax Planning Partners Inc.’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $1,988,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.
A number of other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in VLO. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Valero Energy during the fourth quarter worth $534,892,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 8.3% in the first quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 7,635,050 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $775,264,000 after acquiring an additional 587,056 shares in the last quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC raised its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 65.7% in the first quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 1,374,688 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $139,586,000 after acquiring an additional 545,185 shares in the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. raised its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 1,820.9% in the first quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 477,854 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $66,708,000 after acquiring an additional 452,978 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Pacer Advisors Inc. raised its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 31.4% in the fourth quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 1,735,560 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $220,173,000 after acquiring an additional 414,272 shares in the last quarter. 78.00% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
Valero Energy Stock Performance
Shares of VLO stock traded up $0.87 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $118.17. 675,067 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,306,446. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $112.15 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $125.11. The stock has a market capitalization of $42.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 3.33, a P/E/G ratio of 0.88 and a beta of 1.65. Valero Energy Co. has a 12-month low of $96.93 and a 12-month high of $150.39. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38, a quick ratio of 1.03 and a current ratio of 1.52.
Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO – Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 27th. The oil and gas company reported $8.27 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $7.24 by $1.03. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 55.32% and a net margin of 7.86%. The firm had revenue of $36.44 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $37.88 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $2.31 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was down 5.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts forecast that Valero Energy Co. will post 22.19 EPS for the current year.
Valero Energy Dividend Announcement
The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 22nd. Investors of record on Tuesday, May 23rd were issued a dividend of $1.02 per share. This represents a $4.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.45%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 22nd. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 11.59%.
Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades
Several analysts have recently issued reports on VLO shares. StockNews.com started coverage on Valero Energy in a research note on Thursday, May 18th. They issued a “buy” rating on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on Valero Energy from $160.00 to $172.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 28th. Bank of America increased their target price on Valero Energy from $157.00 to $160.00 in a report on Monday. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on Valero Energy from $126.00 to $120.00 in a report on Friday, June 2nd. Finally, Barclays dropped their target price on Valero Energy from $166.00 to $139.00 in a report on Sunday, May 7th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $152.07.
Valero Energy Profile
Valero Energy Corporation manufactures, markets, and sells transportation fuels and petrochemical products in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Latin America, and internationally. It operates through three segments: Refining, Renewable Diesel, and Ethanol. The company produces California Reformulated Gasoline Blendstock for Oxygenate Blending and Conventional Blendstock for Oxygenate Blending gasolines, CARB diesel, diesel, jet fuel, and asphalt; aromatics; and sulfur crude oils.
Further Reading
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