First Trust Direct Indexing L.P. Increases Stock Holdings in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

First Trust Direct Indexing L.P. lifted its stake in shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 5.1% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 13,223 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after buying an additional 647 shares during the quarter. First Trust Direct Indexing L.P.’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $2,257,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Collective Family Office LLC lifted its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 1.5% in the 1st quarter. Collective Family Office LLC now owns 4,040 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $690,000 after purchasing an additional 58 shares during the period. Versant Capital Management Inc raised its stake in Valero Energy by 4.7% during the 1st quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 1,327 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $227,000 after buying an additional 59 shares during the period. Aua Capital Management LLC raised its stake in Valero Energy by 3.1% during the 1st quarter. Aua Capital Management LLC now owns 2,261 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $386,000 after buying an additional 67 shares during the period. United Community Bank raised its stake in Valero Energy by 2.2% during the 4th quarter. United Community Bank now owns 3,416 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $444,000 after buying an additional 75 shares during the period. Finally, Marino Stram & Associates LLC raised its stake in Valero Energy by 0.9% during the 4th quarter. Marino Stram & Associates LLC now owns 8,384 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $1,090,000 after buying an additional 77 shares during the period. 78.69% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Valero Energy Stock Up 0.3 %

Shares of Valero Energy stock opened at $158.50 on Friday. Valero Energy Co. has a twelve month low of $112.16 and a twelve month high of $184.79. The company has a market cap of $51.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.85, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.64 and a beta of 1.42. The company’s 50 day moving average is $156.66 and its 200 day moving average is $150.99. The company has a quick ratio of 1.10, a current ratio of 1.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last released its earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The oil and gas company reported $3.82 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $32.02 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $8.27 EPS. The business’s revenue was down 12.8% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts anticipate that Valero Energy Co. will post 16.09 EPS for the current year.

Valero Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 28th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 30th were given a dividend of $1.07 per share. This represents a $4.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.70%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, May 30th. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 21.20%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Valero Energy

In other Valero Energy news, Director Kimberly S. Greene sold 720 shares of the firm’s 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 transaction, the director now owns 13,314 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,105,209.68. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Insiders own 0.47% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have issued reports on the company. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on Valero Energy from $184.00 to $179.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, June 6th. UBS Group raised their price objective on Valero Energy from $167.00 to $197.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 26th. Scotiabank raised their price objective on Valero Energy from $138.00 to $165.00 and gave the company a “sector outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, April 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on Valero Energy from $178.00 to $172.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday. Finally, Mizuho dropped their price target 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, June 20th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Valero Energy presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $171.47.

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.