Tema Etfs LLC Purchases Shares of 9,800 Valero Energy Corporation $VLO

Tema Etfs LLC purchased a new stake in Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO) during the third quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor purchased 9,800 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,669,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Hoey Investments Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Valero Energy in the second quarter valued at about $26,000. GFG Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of Valero Energy in the second quarter valued at $27,000. Highline Wealth Partners LLC increased its holdings in Valero Energy by 70.2% during the third quarter. Highline Wealth Partners LLC now owns 160 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 66 shares during the last quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. lifted its stake in Valero Energy by 1,277.8% in the second quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 248 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 230 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Global Wealth Strategies & Associates bought a new position in shares of Valero Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at about $34,000. 78.69% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Mizuho reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $192.00 target price (up from $190.00) on shares of Valero Energy in a research note on Friday, December 12th. UBS Group reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Valero Energy in a research report on Tuesday, January 6th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price target on Valero Energy from $181.00 to $194.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, October 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on Valero Energy from $197.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Finally, Zacks Research raised shares of Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, December 22nd. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $183.00.

Valero Energy Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:VLO opened at $179.69 on Tuesday. Valero Energy Corporation has a 1 year low of $99.00 and a 1 year high of $192.00. The stock has a market capitalization of $54.81 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.51, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.10 and a beta of 0.77. 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’s 50 day simple moving average is $173.12 and its 200 day simple moving average is $159.96.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last released its earnings results on Thursday, October 23rd. The oil and gas company reported $3.66 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 period in the prior year, the company earned $1.14 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly 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 fiscal year.

Valero Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 18th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, November 20th were issued a dividend of $1.13 per share. This represents a $4.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.5%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, November 20th. Valero Energy’s payout ratio is 94.36%.

Insider Transactions at Valero Energy

In other Valero Energy news, CFO Jason W. Fraser sold 9,933 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $174.02, for a total transaction of $1,728,540.66. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 134,196 shares in the company, valued at approximately $23,352,787.92. This trade represents a 6.89% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 0.37% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Valero Energy Company Profile

Valero Energy Corporation is a San Antonio, Texas–based integrated downstream energy company that manufactures and markets transportation fuels, petrochemical feedstocks and other industrial products. The company’s operations focus on refining crude oil into finished fuels such as gasoline, diesel and jet fuel, as well as producing asphalt and other refined product streams for commercial and industrial customers.

In addition to refining, Valero has significant operations in renewable fuels, including the production of ethanol and other biofuels, and it manages an extensive logistics network of pipelines, terminals, rail and marine assets to move feedstocks and finished products.