Valero Energy Corporation $VLO Shares Bought by Los Angeles Capital Management LLC

Los Angeles Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO) by 2,190.9% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 35,692 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after purchasing an additional 34,134 shares during the quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $4,798,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Brown Advisory Inc. boosted its position in Valero Energy by 1.9% in the 1st quarter. Brown Advisory Inc. now owns 16,737 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $2,210,000 after buying an additional 306 shares during the period. Arizona State Retirement System boosted its holdings in Valero Energy by 1.6% in the first quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 92,909 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $12,270,000 after purchasing an additional 1,507 shares during the period. Stephens Inc. AR grew its stake in Valero Energy by 3.7% during the 1st quarter. Stephens Inc. AR now owns 63,005 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $8,321,000 after purchasing an additional 2,248 shares in the last quarter. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Valero Energy during the 1st quarter worth about $44,000. Finally, CWM LLC raised its position in Valero Energy by 61.3% in the 1st quarter. CWM LLC now owns 39,645 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $5,236,000 after purchasing an additional 15,063 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Valero Energy Price Performance

Shares of NYSE VLO opened at $175.22 on Monday. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $164.33 and a 200 day moving average price of $145.56. Valero Energy Corporation has a 1-year low of $99.00 and a 1-year high of $179.10. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a current ratio of 1.60 and a quick ratio of 1.09. The company has a market cap of $53.44 billion, a PE ratio of 36.58, a P/E/G ratio of 1.77 and a beta of 1.01.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 23rd. The oil and gas company reported $3.66 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.15 by $0.51. Valero Energy had a net margin of 1.21% and a return on equity of 8.69%. The company had revenue of $32.17 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $28.80 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.14 EPS. Valero Energy’s quarterly revenue was down 2.2% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts forecast that Valero Energy Corporation will post 7.92 EPS for the current year.

Valero Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 18th. Investors of record on Thursday, November 20th will be given a $1.13 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 20th. This represents a $4.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.6%. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 94.36%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on VLO shares. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Valero Energy in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Citigroup cut shares of Valero Energy from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $134.00 to $150.00 in a report on Wednesday, July 16th. UBS Group reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $183.00 price objective on shares of Valero Energy in a research report on Friday, October 24th. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $181.00 to $194.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, October 10th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lowered Valero Energy from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and increased their target price for the company from $160.00 to $175.00 in a report on Friday, October 3rd. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $179.27.

About Valero Energy

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.