Stephens Inc. AR Buys 1,828 Shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Stephens Inc. AR increased its holdings in shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 3.4% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 55,632 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after buying an additional 1,828 shares during the period. Stephens Inc. AR’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $7,512,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Ameriprise Financial Inc. boosted its position in Valero Energy by 2.8% during the 2nd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 6,956,743 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $1,090,532,000 after buying an additional 192,397 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its position in Valero Energy by 5.8% during the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 4,319,436 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $677,007,000 after buying an additional 237,347 shares during the period. Pacer Advisors Inc. lifted its position in shares of Valero Energy by 1.9% in the 2nd quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 3,018,107 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $473,118,000 after purchasing an additional 56,989 shares during the period. Legal & General Group Plc lifted its position in shares of Valero Energy by 3.0% in the 2nd quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 2,809,355 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $440,394,000 after purchasing an additional 82,539 shares during the period. Finally, Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD lifted its position in shares of Valero Energy by 3.3% in the 1st quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 2,063,923 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $352,292,000 after purchasing an additional 65,632 shares during the period. 78.69% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Valero Energy Stock Performance

NYSE VLO opened at $128.22 on Friday. Valero Energy Co. has a 1 year low of $119.88 and a 1 year high of $184.79. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a current ratio of 1.57 and a quick ratio of 1.04. The firm has a market cap of $41.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.50, a PEG ratio of 2.32 and a beta of 1.39. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $136.69 and a 200-day moving average price of $148.56.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The oil and gas company reported $1.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.98 by $0.16. Valero Energy had a net margin of 2.74% and a return on equity of 13.07%. The firm had revenue of $32.88 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $31.04 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $7.49 EPS. The business’s revenue was down 14.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Valero Energy Co. will post 9.32 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 20th. Investors of record on Wednesday, November 20th will be issued a $1.07 dividend. This represents a $4.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.34%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, November 20th. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 38.39%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Mizuho dropped their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $175.00 to $171.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, September 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $172.00 to $151.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, October 2nd. Bank of America initiated coverage on shares of Valero Energy in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $150.00 price objective for the company. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded shares of Valero Energy from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and lowered their price objective for the company from $172.00 to $165.00 in a research note on Wednesday, October 9th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lowered their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $175.00 to $165.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, October 4th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $156.29.

Valero Energy Company 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.