Advisory Services Network LLC Raises Stock Position in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Advisory Services Network LLC boosted its stake in shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 5.7% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 36,920 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,979 shares during the period. Advisory Services Network LLC’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $6,302,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Townsquare Capital LLC raised its position in Valero Energy by 3.5% during the third quarter. Townsquare Capital LLC now owns 12,358 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $1,751,000 after acquiring an additional 420 shares during the period. Harbour Investments Inc. raised its holdings in Valero Energy by 11.8% in the third quarter. Harbour Investments Inc. now owns 3,133 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $444,000 after acquiring an additional 330 shares in the last quarter. Creative Planning raised its holdings in Valero Energy by 7.2% during the third quarter. Creative Planning now owns 67,391 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $9,550,000 after purchasing an additional 4,520 shares in the last quarter. Diversified Trust Co raised its holdings in Valero Energy by 13.9% during the third quarter. Diversified Trust Co now owns 9,919 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $1,406,000 after purchasing an additional 1,213 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Public Sector Pension Investment Board grew its position in shares of Valero Energy by 10.5% during the third quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 83,290 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $11,803,000 after acquiring an additional 7,910 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related 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 transaction of $113,846.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 13,314 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,105,209.68. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. 0.04% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on VLO shares. TD Cowen lowered their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $190.00 to $185.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 29th. Barclays cut their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $171.00 to $165.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday. Argus cut Valero Energy from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, May 16th. Bank of America upgraded Valero Energy from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $156.00 to $210.00 in a report on Friday, March 15th. Finally, Mizuho decreased their target price on Valero Energy from $176.00 to $171.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, June 20th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $171.07.

Valero Energy Stock Performance

Shares of VLO stock traded up $0.17 on Friday, hitting $146.81. 306,105 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,082,155. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a current ratio of 1.59 and a quick ratio of 1.10. The company has a market capitalization of $48.01 billion, a PE ratio of 7.26, a PEG ratio of 1.57 and a beta of 1.42. Valero Energy Co. has a 1-year low of $112.67 and a 1-year high of $184.79. The company’s fifty day moving average is $155.31 and its 200 day moving average is $151.52.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The oil and gas company reported $3.82 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.18 by $0.64. The business had revenue of $31.76 billion for 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%. The business’s revenue was down 12.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $8.27 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that Valero Energy Co. will post 15.34 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 28th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 30th were paid a dividend of $1.07 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, May 30th. This represents a $4.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.92%. Valero Energy’s payout ratio is currently 21.20%.

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.