American National Bank & Trust Buys 6,784 Shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

American National Bank & Trust boosted its position in shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 14.7% in the third quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 52,779 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after acquiring an additional 6,784 shares during the period. American National Bank & Trust’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $7,127,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Collective Family Office LLC grew its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 1.5% during the first quarter. Collective Family Office LLC now owns 4,040 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $690,000 after buying an additional 58 shares in the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its position 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 acquiring an additional 59 shares during the last quarter. International Private Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 3.4% during the 2nd quarter. International Private Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,970 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $309,000 after acquiring an additional 65 shares in the last quarter. Aua Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 3.1% in the first quarter. Aua Capital Management LLC now owns 2,261 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $386,000 after purchasing an additional 67 shares during the last quarter. Finally, OmniStar Financial Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Valero Energy by 1.6% in the second quarter. OmniStar Financial Group Inc. now owns 4,543 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $712,000 after purchasing an additional 70 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Valero Energy Price Performance

Valero Energy stock opened at $135.61 on Thursday. 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’s 50 day moving average is $143.27 and its 200-day moving average is $154.12. Valero Energy Co. has a 12 month low of $119.88 and a 12 month high of $184.79. The company has a market capitalization of $44.34 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 6.72, a PEG ratio of 3.31 and a beta of 1.40.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last announced its 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 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 analysts’ expectations of $32.97 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $5.40 earnings per share. Valero Energy’s quarterly revenue was down .1% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts expect that Valero Energy Co. will post 10.26 EPS for the current year.

Valero Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 3rd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, August 1st were issued a dividend of $1.07 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, August 1st. This represents a $4.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.16%. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 21.20%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Valero Energy from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 17th. Scotiabank lifted their target price on Valero Energy from $165.00 to $173.00 and gave the company a “sector outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, July 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on Valero Energy from $172.00 to $151.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday. Wolfe Research assumed coverage on Valero Energy in a research report on Thursday, July 18th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $177.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Barclays dropped their price objective on Valero Energy from $165.00 to $146.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Valero Energy currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $165.21.

About Valero Energy

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.