Aviance Capital Partners LLC Invests $354,000 in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Aviance Capital Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm acquired 2,075 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock, valued at approximately $354,000.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Lazard Asset Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 21.2% during the 3rd quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 40,001 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $5,667,000 after buying an additional 7,002 shares during the last quarter. Truist Financial Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 1.7% in the third quarter. Truist Financial Corp now owns 179,119 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $25,383,000 after purchasing an additional 2,998 shares in the last quarter. Glenmede Trust Co. NA grew its position in shares of Valero Energy by 28.9% in the third quarter. Glenmede Trust Co. NA now owns 39,718 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $5,628,000 after purchasing an additional 8,912 shares during the last quarter. Axxcess Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Valero Energy during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $2,283,000. Finally, Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. raised its position in shares of Valero Energy by 0.4% during the 3rd quarter. Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. now owns 201,100 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $28,498,000 after purchasing an additional 900 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have commented on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on Valero Energy from $130.00 to $171.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a report on Friday, March 22nd. Piper Sandler dropped their price objective on Valero Energy from $187.00 to $169.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, June 14th. Barclays reduced their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $179.00 to $173.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 30th. Bank of America raised shares of Valero Energy from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their price objective for the company from $156.00 to $210.00 in a research report on Friday, March 15th. Finally, Mizuho decreased their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $176.00 to $171.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, June 20th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $172.00.

Insider Activity at Valero Energy

In other Valero Energy news, Director Kimberly S. Greene sold 720 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 9th. The stock was 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 in the company, valued at approximately $2,105,209.68. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.47% of the company’s stock.

Valero Energy Trading Up 0.3 %

NYSE VLO traded up $0.51 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $157.27. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 237,641 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,124,475. The firm has a market capitalization of $51.43 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.76, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.62 and a beta of 1.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a current ratio of 1.59 and a quick ratio of 1.10. Valero Energy Co. has a 52-week low of $112.16 and a 52-week high of $184.79. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $157.35 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $150.47.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The oil and gas company reported $3.82 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 business had revenue of $31.76 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $32.02 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $8.27 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 12.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts expect that Valero Energy Co. will post 16.09 EPS for the current year.

Valero Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 28th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 30th were paid a $1.07 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, May 30th. This represents a $4.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.72%. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 21.20%.

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.