Valmark Advisers Inc. Increases Stock Position in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Valmark Advisers Inc. lifted its holdings in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 10.4% during the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 1,412 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after buying an additional 133 shares during the quarter. Valmark Advisers Inc.’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $221,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors 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. Putnam Investments LLC boosted its position in shares of Valero Energy by 3.7% in the 4th quarter. Putnam Investments LLC now owns 3,445,821 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $447,957,000 after purchasing an additional 122,207 shares in the last quarter. Montrusco Bolton Investments Inc. grew its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 18.7% in the 4th quarter. Montrusco Bolton Investments Inc. now owns 2,389,654 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $310,655,000 after buying an additional 376,449 shares during the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD raised its stake in Valero Energy by 3.3% during the first quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 2,063,923 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $352,292,000 after buying an additional 65,632 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Acadian Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in Valero Energy by 37.6% in 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. 78.69% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Valero Energy Stock Performance

Shares of VLO opened at $141.37 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $46.23 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.00, a PEG ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 1.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a current ratio of 1.48 and a quick ratio of 1.04. Valero Energy Co. has a one year low of $119.88 and a one year high of $184.79. The business has a fifty day moving average of $149.89 and a 200 day moving average of $155.76.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 25th. The oil and gas company reported $2.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.60 by $0.11. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 21.01% and a net margin of 4.25%. The business had revenue of $34.49 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $32.97 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $5.40 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was down .1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Valero Energy Co. will post 12.86 EPS for the current year.

Valero Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 3rd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, August 1st were issued a dividend of $1.07 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, August 1st. This represents a $4.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.03%. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 21.20%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

VLO has been the subject of several analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on Valero Energy from $165.00 to $172.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday. Scotiabank lifted their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $165.00 to $173.00 and gave the stock a “sector outperform” rating in a report on Friday, July 12th. Mizuho upgraded shares of Valero Energy from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and increased their price target for the company from $165.00 to $175.00 in a report on Wednesday, July 17th. Barclays reduced their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $171.00 to $165.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, July 9th. Finally, Wolfe Research initiated coverage on Valero Energy in a research report on Thursday, July 18th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $177.00 price objective on the stock. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price 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.