Royal Fund Management LLC Takes $215,000 Position in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Royal Fund Management LLC bought a new position in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor bought 1,261 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock, valued at approximately $215,000.

Several other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Valero Energy in the fourth quarter worth about $570,428,000. International Assets Investment Management LLC increased its stake in Valero Energy by 12,883.3% in the 4th quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 1,047,360 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $136,157,000 after buying an additional 1,039,293 shares in the last quarter. Morgan Stanley raised its holdings in Valero Energy by 6.1% during the third quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 8,961,603 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $1,269,949,000 after acquiring an additional 517,068 shares during the period. Montrusco Bolton Investments Inc. lifted its position in shares of Valero Energy by 18.7% in the fourth quarter. Montrusco Bolton Investments Inc. now owns 2,389,654 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $310,655,000 after acquiring an additional 376,449 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Pacer Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in Valero Energy by 14.0% in the 4th quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 2,788,994 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $362,569,000 after purchasing an additional 342,218 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Kimberly S. Greene sold 720 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $158.12, for a total value of $113,846.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 13,314 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,105,209.68. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Company insiders own 0.04% of the company’s stock.

Valero Energy Trading Up 0.6 %

Shares of NYSE:VLO traded up $0.97 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $151.18. 71,616 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,103,308. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a current ratio of 1.59 and a quick ratio of 1.10. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $158.64 and a 200-day moving average price of $149.38. Valero Energy Co. has a 1 year low of $111.14 and a 1 year high of $184.79. The firm has a market capitalization of $49.44 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 (NYSE:VLO) last released its earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The oil and gas company reported $3.82 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.18 by $0.64. The business had revenue of $31.76 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $32.02 billion. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 24.82% and a net margin of 5.01%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 12.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $8.27 earnings per share. Equities analysts expect that Valero Energy Co. will post 17.32 earnings per share for the current year.

Valero Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 28th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 30th will be given a dividend of $1.07 per share. This represents a $4.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.83%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 30th. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 21.20%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on VLO shares. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $184.00 to $179.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, June 6th. Piper Sandler dropped their price target on Valero Energy from $187.00 to $169.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, June 14th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on Valero Energy from $130.00 to $171.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a research note on Friday, March 22nd. TD Cowen reduced their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $190.00 to $185.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 29th. Finally, Mizuho lowered their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $176.00 to $171.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday. One 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. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $172.00.

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.