Westbourne Investment Advisors Inc. Has $7.73 Million Stock Position in Valero Energy Corporation $VLO

Westbourne Investment Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO) by 2.5% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 57,508 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,379 shares during the period. Valero Energy comprises about 2.3% of Westbourne Investment Advisors Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 12th largest holding. Westbourne Investment Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $7,730,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Hoey Investments Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Valero Energy in the second quarter worth approximately $26,000. GFG Capital LLC acquired a new position in Valero Energy in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. lifted its position in Valero Energy by 156.6% in the 1st 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 in the last quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 1,277.8% during the 2nd quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 248 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 230 shares during the period. Finally, Hemington Wealth Management grew its holdings in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 95 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts recently issued reports on VLO shares. Citigroup lowered Valero Energy from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $134.00 to $150.00 in a report on Wednesday, July 16th. TD Cowen upped their target price on Valero Energy from $162.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, October 24th. UBS Group reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $183.00 price target on shares of Valero Energy in a report on Friday, October 24th. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Valero Energy in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, October 25th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Valero Energy presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $179.53.

Valero Energy Stock Up 2.1%

Shares of VLO stock opened at $179.34 on Tuesday. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $164.87 and its 200 day simple moving average is $146.02. Valero Energy Corporation has a twelve month low of $99.00 and a twelve month high of $180.15. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a quick ratio of 1.09 and a current ratio of 1.60. The company has a market capitalization of $54.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.44, a PEG ratio of 1.77 and a beta of 1.01.

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

Valero Energy Announces Dividend

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 issued a dividend of $1.13 per share. This represents a $4.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, November 20th. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 94.36%.

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.