Azzad Asset Management Inc. ADV Makes New Investment in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Azzad Asset Management Inc. ADV acquired a new position in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 7,692 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,313,000.

A number of other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Collective Family Office LLC increased its holdings in Valero Energy by 1.5% during the 1st quarter. Collective Family Office LLC now owns 4,040 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $690,000 after purchasing an additional 58 shares during the period. Versant Capital Management Inc increased its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 4.7% during the first quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 1,327 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $227,000 after buying an additional 59 shares during the period. Aua Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 3.1% during 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 acquiring an additional 67 shares in the last quarter. United Community Bank lifted its stake in Valero Energy by 2.2% in the fourth quarter. United Community Bank now owns 3,416 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $444,000 after acquiring an additional 75 shares during the period. Finally, Marino Stram & Associates LLC boosted its holdings in Valero Energy by 0.9% in the fourth quarter. Marino Stram & Associates LLC now owns 8,384 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $1,090,000 after acquiring an additional 77 shares in the last quarter. 78.69% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Valero Energy Stock Performance

VLO stock traded down $0.32 on Wednesday, hitting $157.64. The company had a trading volume of 571,378 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,118,318. The stock has a market cap of $51.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.87, a P/E/G ratio of 1.62 and a beta of 1.42. The company has a current ratio of 1.59, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $157.00 and its 200 day simple moving average is $150.88. Valero Energy Co. has a 12-month low of $112.16 and a 12-month high of $184.79.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 25th. The oil and gas company reported $3.82 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.18 by $0.64. The company had revenue of $31.76 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $32.02 billion. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 24.82% and a net margin of 5.01%. Valero Energy’s revenue was down 12.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $8.27 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Valero Energy Co. will post 16.09 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 28th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 30th were given a $1.07 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, May 30th. This represents a $4.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.72%. Valero Energy’s payout ratio is presently 21.20%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

VLO has been the subject of several research reports. UBS Group upped their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $167.00 to $197.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 26th. Citigroup raised their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $160.00 to $192.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, April 18th. Barclays dropped their price target on Valero Energy from $173.00 to $171.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday. Piper Sandler dropped their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $187.00 to $169.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, June 14th. Finally, Argus lowered shares of Valero Energy from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 16th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Valero Energy currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $171.47.

Insider Transactions at Valero Energy

In other news, Director Kimberly S. Greene sold 720 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $158.12, for a total value of $113,846.40. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 13,314 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,105,209.68. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.47% of the company’s stock.

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.