Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) Stock Holdings Lifted by Anchor Investment Management LLC

Anchor Investment Management LLC raised its position in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 508.3% during the second quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 10,450 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after purchasing an additional 8,732 shares during the quarter. Anchor Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $1,638,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund grew its stake in Valero Energy by 269.8% in the second quarter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund now owns 63,095 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $9,891,000 after purchasing an additional 46,033 shares in the last quarter. Heritage Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Valero Energy during the 2nd quarter valued at about $3,062,000. Sanctuary Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Valero Energy during the 2nd quarter valued at about $20,826,000. Clearbridge Investments LLC acquired a new position in shares of Valero Energy during the 2nd quarter valued at about $763,000. Finally, New Century Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Valero Energy during the 2nd quarter valued at about $255,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Valero Energy Price Performance

Shares of VLO stock opened at $144.00 on Friday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $143.01 and a two-hundred day moving average of $154.05. The company has a current ratio of 1.48, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34. 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 $46.13 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.13, a P/E/G ratio of 3.35 and a beta of 1.39.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 25th. The oil and gas company reported $2.71 EPS for the quarter, topping 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 company had revenue of $34.49 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $32.97 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $5.40 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was down .1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts expect that Valero Energy Co. will post 10.13 EPS for the current year.

Valero Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 3rd. Investors of record on Thursday, August 1st were given a dividend of $1.07 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, August 1st. This represents a $4.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.97%. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 21.20%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have recently commented on VLO. Barclays lowered their price objective on Valero Energy from $165.00 to $146.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on Valero Energy from $165.00 to $172.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, September 3rd. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their price objective on Valero Energy from $149.00 to $131.00 and set a “sell” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, September 16th. Scotiabank increased their price objective on Valero Energy from $165.00 to $173.00 and gave the company a “sector outperform” rating in a report on Friday, July 12th. Finally, Mizuho lowered their target price on Valero Energy from $175.00 to $171.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, September 16th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $165.21.

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.