Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) Shares Purchased by Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co.

Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. increased its holdings in shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 0.8% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 236,782 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,890 shares during the quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co.’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $37,118,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Ameriprise Financial Inc. grew its position in Valero Energy by 2.8% in the 2nd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 6,956,743 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $1,090,532,000 after purchasing an additional 192,397 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its position in Valero Energy by 5.8% in the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 4,319,436 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $677,007,000 after purchasing an additional 237,347 shares during the last quarter. Putnam Investments LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 3.7% in the fourth quarter. Putnam Investments LLC now owns 3,445,821 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $447,957,000 after acquiring an additional 122,207 shares in the last quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 1.9% in the second quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 3,018,107 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $473,118,000 after acquiring an additional 56,989 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Legal & General Group Plc boosted its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 3.0% in the second quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 2,809,355 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $440,394,000 after acquiring an additional 82,539 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Valero Energy Stock Down 0.7 %

Shares of NYSE:VLO opened at $135.03 on Tuesday. Valero Energy Co. has a 52 week low of $119.88 and a 52 week high of $184.79. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a current ratio of 1.48. The company has a market cap of $44.15 billion, a PE ratio of 6.69, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.31 and a beta of 1.40. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $143.73 and a 200 day simple moving average of $154.44.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last released its earnings results on Thursday, July 25th. The oil and gas company reported $2.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.60 by $0.11. Valero Energy had a net margin of 4.25% and a return on equity of 21.01%. The company had revenue of $34.49 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $32.97 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $5.40 EPS. The company’s revenue was down .1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts expect that Valero Energy Co. will post 10.26 earnings per share for the current year.

Valero Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 3rd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, August 1st were given a $1.07 dividend. 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 3.17%. Valero Energy’s payout ratio is 21.20%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Mizuho decreased their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $175.00 to $171.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Monday, September 16th. Scotiabank increased their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $165.00 to $173.00 and gave the company a “sector outperform” rating in a report on Friday, July 12th. Wolfe Research assumed coverage on shares of Valero Energy in a report on Thursday, July 18th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $177.00 price objective for the company. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $149.00 to $131.00 and set a “sell” rating for the company in a report on Monday, September 16th. Finally, Piper Sandler cut shares of Valero Energy from an “overweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and reduced their target price for the stock from $169.00 to $123.00 in a report on Friday, September 20th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Valero Energy presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $168.07.

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.