SBI Okasan Asset Management Co.Ltd. Acquires New Position in Valero Energy Corporation $VLO

SBI Okasan Asset Management Co.Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 2,700 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock, valued at approximately $447,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in VLO. JPL Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Valero Energy during the third quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Torren Management LLC purchased a new position in Valero Energy during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Triumph Capital Management bought a new stake in Valero Energy in the third quarter worth approximately $35,000. Accordant Advisory Group Inc grew its position in Valero Energy by 194.4% in the fourth quarter. Accordant Advisory Group Inc now owns 212 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $35,000 after acquiring an additional 140 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. grew its position in Valero Energy by 145.3% in the third quarter. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 211 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $36,000 after acquiring an additional 125 shares in the last quarter. 78.69% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

VLO has been the subject of several recent research reports. Zacks Research raised shares of Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $203.00 to $237.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 12th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Valero Energy from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, April 4th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $220.00 to $292.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 31st. Finally, Scotiabank boosted their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $178.00 to $226.00 and gave the stock a “sector outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $243.65.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, SVP Eric A. Fisher sold 8,311 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $227.69, for a total transaction of $1,892,331.59. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 42,242 shares in the company, valued at $9,618,080.98. This represents a 16.44% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 0.36% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Valero Energy Price Performance

NYSE:VLO opened at $245.08 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $72.77 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.81, a PEG ratio of 0.36 and a beta of 0.58. Valero Energy Corporation has a one year low of $125.10 and a one year high of $263.75. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $242.80 and a 200 day moving average price of $207.03. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a current ratio of 1.58 and a quick ratio of 1.15.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last released its earnings results 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. The firm had revenue of $32.38 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $31.38 billion. Valero Energy had a net margin of 3.37% and a return on equity of 15.94%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 7.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.89 EPS. Analysts anticipate that Valero Energy Corporation will post 26.51 earnings per share for the current year.

Valero Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 23rd. Investors of record on Thursday, May 21st will be paid a dividend of $1.20 per share. This represents a $4.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.0%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 21st. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 34.88%.

About Valero Energy

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.