Heritage Trust Co Buys 3,484 Shares of Valero Energy Corporation $VLO

Heritage Trust Co grew its stake in Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO) by 31.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 14,723 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after purchasing an additional 3,484 shares during the quarter. Heritage Trust Co’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $2,397,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Norges Bank bought a new position in Valero Energy in the 4th quarter worth $1,111,542,000. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its holdings in Valero Energy by 5.0% in the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 5,273,517 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $897,869,000 after purchasing an additional 249,195 shares in the last quarter. Barclays PLC raised its holdings in Valero Energy by 5.3% in the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 4,143,672 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $705,502,000 after purchasing an additional 209,597 shares in the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc increased its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 2.3% in the 3rd quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 1,904,181 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $324,206,000 after acquiring an additional 43,237 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership bought a new position in shares of Valero Energy in the 3rd quarter worth about $275,239,000. 78.69% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Valero Energy Stock Performance

Shares of VLO stock opened at $252.78 on Tuesday. Valero Energy Corporation has a one year low of $125.10 and a one year high of $263.75. The company’s 50-day moving average is $243.02 and its 200 day moving average is $207.74. The company has a market capitalization of $75.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.37, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.36 and a beta of 0.55. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a current ratio of 1.58.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The oil and gas company reported $4.22 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.16 by $1.06. Valero Energy had a net margin of 3.37% and a return on equity of 15.94%. The company had revenue of $32.38 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $31.38 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.89 EPS. Valero Energy’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.0% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts expect that Valero Energy Corporation will post 26.51 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 23rd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 21st will be issued a dividend of $1.20 per share. This represents a $4.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 21st. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 34.88%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Barclays increased their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $184.00 to $261.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 8th. Wolfe Research reiterated an “underperform” rating and issued a $203.00 price target on shares of Valero Energy in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. Citigroup increased their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $246.00 to $259.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Valero Energy from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, April 4th. Finally, Raymond James Financial increased their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $215.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 25th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $243.65.

Insider Activity

In other news, SVP Eric A. Fisher sold 400 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $238.60, for a total transaction of $95,440.00. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.36% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Valero Energy 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.