3,918 Shares in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) Acquired by HighPoint Advisor Group LLC

HighPoint Advisor Group LLC purchased a new stake in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 3,918 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock, valued at approximately $509,000.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. BKM Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Valero Energy in the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Wetzel Investment Advisors Inc. bought a new position in Valero Energy in the 4th quarter valued at $36,000. FSC Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in Valero Energy in the 4th quarter valued at $38,000. McIlrath & Eck LLC boosted its holdings in Valero Energy by 40.3% in the 3rd quarter. McIlrath & Eck LLC now owns 303 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $43,000 after purchasing an additional 87 shares during the period. Finally, DT Investment Partners LLC bought a new position in Valero Energy in the 4th quarter valued at $45,000. 78.69% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have commented on VLO shares. TD Cowen cut their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $190.00 to $185.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 29th. Argus cut shares of Valero Energy from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 16th. Barclays lowered their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $179.00 to $173.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 30th. Bank of America upgraded shares of Valero Energy from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price objective for the company from $156.00 to $210.00 in a research report on Friday, March 15th. Finally, UBS Group raised their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $167.00 to $197.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 26th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $172.33.

Valero Energy Price Performance

VLO stock opened at $149.94 on Thursday. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $159.60 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $148.84. Valero Energy Co. has a 12-month low of $108.28 and a 12-month high of $184.79. The stock has a market capitalization of $49.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.43, a PEG ratio of 1.44 and a beta of 1.47. The company has a current ratio of 1.59, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 25th. The oil and gas company reported $3.82 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.18 by $0.64. Valero Energy had a net margin of 5.01% and a return on equity of 24.82%. The firm had revenue of $31.76 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $32.02 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $8.27 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 12.8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts predict that Valero Energy Co. will post 17.32 earnings per share for the current year.

Valero Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 28th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 30th will be paid a dividend of $1.07 per share. This represents a $4.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.85%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 30th. Valero Energy’s payout ratio is 21.20%.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Kimberly S. Greene sold 720 shares of Valero Energy stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $158.12, for a total transaction of $113,846.40. Following the sale, the director now owns 13,314 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,105,209.68. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Insiders own 0.04% of the company’s stock.

Valero Energy 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.