Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) Shares Acquired by Diversify Advisory Services LLC

Diversify Advisory Services LLC increased its stake in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 26.5% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 6,393 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,338 shares during the period. Diversify Advisory Services LLC’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $813,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its position in shares of Valero Energy by 4,908.0% during the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 2,850,526 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $384,907,000 after purchasing an additional 2,793,607 shares during the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in Valero Energy by 11,318.9% during the 3rd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 1,076,349 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $145,339,000 after buying an additional 1,066,923 shares during the last quarter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund boosted its position in shares of Valero Energy by 900.2% during the 3rd quarter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund now owns 631,095 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $85,217,000 after acquiring an additional 568,000 shares in the last quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 18.8% in the 3rd quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 3,585,166 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $484,105,000 after acquiring an additional 567,059 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Valero Energy during the third quarter worth approximately $70,352,000. 78.69% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Valero Energy Stock Down 1.1 %

VLO stock opened at $139.50 on Wednesday. Valero Energy Co. has a one year low of $116.84 and a one year high of $184.79. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a current ratio of 1.57. The company has a fifty day moving average of $131.31 and a 200-day moving average of $138.08. The stock has a market capitalization of $44.16 billion, a PE ratio of 12.51, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.88 and a beta of 1.42.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 24th. The oil and gas company reported $1.14 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.98 by $0.16. The company had revenue of $32.88 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $31.04 billion. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 13.07% and a net margin of 2.74%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 14.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $7.49 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that Valero Energy Co. will post 7.93 EPS for the current year.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 3rd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, January 30th will be paid a dividend of $1.13 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, January 30th. This is a boost from Valero Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.07. This represents a $4.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.24%. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio is 38.39%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have commented on VLO shares. BMO Capital Markets dropped their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $175.00 to $165.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, October 4th. TD Cowen cut their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $145.00 to $140.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Citigroup decreased their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $192.00 to $176.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on Valero Energy from $165.00 to $160.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, December 9th. Finally, Bank of America began coverage on Valero Energy in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $150.00 price target on the stock. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $154.57.

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.