RFG Advisory LLC Has $774,000 Stake in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

RFG Advisory LLC raised its position in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 99.1% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 4,533 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after buying an additional 2,256 shares during the quarter. RFG Advisory LLC’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $774,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. BTC Capital Management Inc. bought a new position in Valero Energy in the 1st quarter valued at about $6,516,000. Marcum Wealth LLC bought a new position in Valero Energy in the 1st quarter valued at about $204,000. Park Avenue Securities LLC grew its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 8.4% during the 1st quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC now owns 14,602 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $2,492,000 after purchasing an additional 1,131 shares during the last quarter. American National Bank grew its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 10.6% during the 1st quarter. American National Bank now owns 40,943 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $6,989,000 after purchasing an additional 3,911 shares during the last quarter. Finally, KMG Fiduciary Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Valero Energy during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $220,000. 78.69% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Valero Energy Stock Down 1.5 %

Shares of NYSE VLO opened at $150.21 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $49.12 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.47 and a beta of 1.47. Valero Energy Co. has a 52-week low of $108.28 and a 52-week high of $184.79. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a current ratio of 1.59. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $158.64 and its 200-day moving average price is $149.38.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The oil and gas company reported $3.82 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.18 by $0.64. The firm had revenue of $31.76 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $32.02 billion. Valero Energy had a net margin of 5.01% and a return on equity of 24.82%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 12.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $8.27 EPS. Equities analysts forecast 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. Investors of record on Thursday, May 30th will be given a dividend of $1.07 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 30th. This represents a $4.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.85%. Valero Energy’s payout ratio is presently 21.20%.

Insider Activity at Valero Energy

In related news, Director Kimberly S. Greene sold 720 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $158.12, for a total transaction of $113,846.40. Following the transaction, the director now owns 13,314 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,105,209.68. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.04% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages recently issued reports on VLO. Piper Sandler decreased their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $187.00 to $169.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, June 14th. Scotiabank lifted their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $138.00 to $165.00 and gave the company a “sector outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, April 11th. StockNews.com lowered shares of Valero Energy from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Sunday. Citigroup lifted their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $160.00 to $192.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, April 18th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $130.00 to $171.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a report on Friday, March 22nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Valero Energy has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $172.00.

About Valero Energy

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.