Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd Buys Shares of 42,644 Valero Energy Corporation $VLO

Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd bought a new position in shares of Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO) during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm bought 42,644 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,536,000.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. JPL Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Valero Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at about $27,000. Financial Life Planners bought a new position in Valero Energy during the 1st quarter worth approximately $28,000. Torren Management LLC acquired a new position in Valero Energy during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. AXS Investments LLC acquired a new position in Valero Energy during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Finally, University of Texas Texas AM Investment Management Co. increased its stake in Valero Energy by 157.0% in the fourth quarter. University of Texas Texas AM Investment Management Co. now owns 203 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 124 shares in the last quarter. 78.69% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Valero Energy Trading Down 0.5%

Shares of NYSE:VLO opened at $267.99 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $79.57 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.48, a PEG ratio of 0.37 and a beta of 0.55. The company has a quick ratio of 1.15, a current ratio of 1.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39. Valero Energy Corporation has a 12 month low of $130.78 and a 12 month high of $274.92. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $249.06 and its 200 day simple moving average is $220.30.

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 analysts’ consensus estimates 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 return on equity of 15.94% and a net margin of 3.37%.The company’s revenue was up 7.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.89 EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that Valero Energy Corporation will post 28.37 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 23rd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 21st were paid a $1.20 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, May 21st. This represents a $4.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.8%. Valero Energy’s payout ratio is presently 34.88%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Piper Sandler increased their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $236.00 to $263.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 8th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Valero Energy from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Saturday, April 4th. Wolfe Research restated an “underperform” rating and issued a $203.00 price objective on shares of Valero Energy in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. Barclays raised their price objective on Valero Energy from $261.00 to $279.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on Valero Energy from $232.00 to $255.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, June 12th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $247.59.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, SVP Eric A. Fisher sold 7,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $268.17, for a total transaction of $2,011,275.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 19,742 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,294,212.14. This trade represents a 27.53% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 0.36% of the stock is currently owned by company 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.