Valero Energy Corporation $VLO Shares Bought by Mediolanum International Funds Ltd

Mediolanum International Funds Ltd raised its stake in Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO) by 40.8% in the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 29,220 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after acquiring an additional 8,461 shares during the period. Mediolanum International Funds Ltd’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $7,313,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Whipplewood Advisors LLC grew its stake in Valero Energy by 3,400.0% in the first quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC now owns 105 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 102 shares in the last quarter. JPL Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Valero Energy during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $27,000. Financial Life Planners bought a new position in Valero Energy during the 1st quarter worth approximately $28,000. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Valero Energy by 134.0% in the 1st quarter. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 117 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 67 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Torren Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Valero Energy in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Institutional investors own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Valero Energy

In other news, SVP Eric A. Fisher sold 7,500 shares of Valero Energy stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $268.17, for a total transaction of $2,011,275.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president owned 19,742 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,294,212.14. The trade was a 27.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.36% of the company’s stock.

Valero Energy Stock Performance

Shares of VLO opened at $313.68 on Tuesday. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $260.29 and a 200-day moving average of $230.82. The company has a market cap of $93.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.80, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.37 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 Corporation has a 1 year low of $130.78 and a 1 year high of $316.57.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The oil and gas company reported $4.22 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.16 by $1.06. The business had revenue of $32.38 billion for 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 company’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.89 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Valero Energy Corporation will post 32.61 earnings per share for the current year.

Valero Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 31st will be given a $1.20 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 31st. This represents a $4.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.5%. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio is 34.88%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on VLO shares. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on Valero Energy from $232.00 to $255.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, June 12th. Mizuho increased their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $222.00 to $289.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 27th. Piper Sandler raised their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $236.00 to $263.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 8th. Citigroup lifted their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $259.00 to $302.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 14th. Finally, Scotiabank boosted their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $178.00 to $226.00 and gave the company a “sector outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 22nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $253.06.

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.