Trust Co. of Oklahoma Makes New Investment in Valero Energy Corporation $VLO

Trust Co. of Oklahoma purchased a new stake in Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO) during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund purchased 2,257 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock, valued at approximately $558,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. JPL Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Valero Energy during the third quarter worth $27,000. Torren Management LLC acquired a new position in Valero Energy in the 4th quarter worth $30,000. AXS Investments LLC acquired a new position in Valero Energy in the 4th quarter worth $32,000. University of Texas Texas AM Investment Management Co. increased its holdings in Valero Energy by 157.0% during the 4th quarter. University of Texas Texas AM Investment Management Co. now owns 203 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 124 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC raised its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 32.9% in the 4th quarter. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC now owns 206 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 51 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Valero Energy Price Performance

Shares of NYSE VLO opened at $242.77 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $72.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.64, a PEG ratio of 0.35 and a beta of 0.55. The business has a 50-day moving average of $245.41 and a 200-day moving average of $216.50. 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 Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $130.78 and a fifty-two week high of $265.61.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last released its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The oil and gas company reported $4.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.16 by $1.06. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 15.94% and a net margin of 3.37%.The business had revenue of $32.38 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $31.38 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.89 earnings per share. Valero Energy’s revenue was up 7.0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Valero Energy Corporation will post 27.45 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Announces Dividend

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

Insider Activity

In other news, SVP Eric A. Fisher sold 7,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $236.90, for a total transaction of $1,776,750.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president owned 27,242 shares in the company, valued at $6,453,629.80. This represents a 21.59% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. 0.36% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently commented on VLO shares. Citigroup boosted their price target on Valero Energy from $246.00 to $259.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, May 1st. Raymond James Financial lifted their target price on Valero Energy from $215.00 to $290.00 and gave the company a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 25th. TD Cowen boosted their target price on Valero Energy from $255.00 to $276.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Wall Street Zen raised Valero Energy from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, April 4th. Finally, Barclays raised 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. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating, eight have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Valero Energy has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $245.59.

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.