Ballentine Partners LLC Buys 122 Shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Ballentine Partners LLC increased its position in shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 5.8% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 2,213 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after acquiring an additional 122 shares during the quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $347,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Valero Energy during the fourth quarter worth $570,428,000. Acadian Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in Valero Energy by 37.6% during the first quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 1,558,750 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $266,040,000 after acquiring an additional 426,093 shares in the last quarter. Montrusco Bolton Investments Inc. grew its stake in 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 during the period. Bank of Nova Scotia increased its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 721.4% in the fourth quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia now owns 337,911 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $43,927,000 after acquiring an additional 296,771 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Westwood Holdings Group Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Valero Energy during the first quarter worth about $39,517,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Valero Energy Trading Down 2.3 %

NYSE VLO opened at $132.90 on Thursday. Valero Energy Co. has a 12 month low of $119.88 and a 12 month high of $184.79. The company has a current ratio of 1.48, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $147.36 and a 200-day moving average of $155.50. The company has a market cap of $43.46 billion, a PE ratio of 6.58, a PEG ratio of 2.73 and a beta of 1.40.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 25th. The oil and gas company reported $2.71 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.60 by $0.11. The firm had revenue of $34.49 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $32.97 billion. Valero Energy had a net margin of 4.25% and a return on equity of 21.01%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down .1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $5.40 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Valero Energy Co. will post 12.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 3rd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, August 1st were given a dividend of $1.07 per share. This represents a $4.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.22%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, August 1st. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 21.20%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

VLO has been the subject of a number of research reports. Barclays lowered their target price on Valero Energy from $171.00 to $165.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, July 9th. Wolfe Research began coverage on shares of Valero Energy in a report on Thursday, July 18th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $177.00 price objective on the stock. StockNews.com lowered shares of Valero Energy from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 17th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on Valero Energy from $178.00 to $172.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, July 2nd. Finally, Scotiabank upped their price objective on Valero Energy from $165.00 to $173.00 and gave the stock a “sector outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, July 12th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Valero Energy has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $174.50.

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.