Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) Shares Acquired by Harvest Portfolios Group Inc.

Harvest Portfolios Group Inc. boosted its position in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 18.4% in the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 11,333 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,759 shares during the period. Harvest Portfolios Group Inc.’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $1,530,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. EdgeRock Capital LLC acquired a new position in Valero Energy during the second quarter worth about $27,000. Lynx Investment Advisory acquired a new position in Valero Energy in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $29,000. Summit Securities Group LLC purchased a new position in Valero Energy during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $31,000. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC acquired a new stake in Valero Energy during the 1st quarter valued at $33,000. Finally, Compagnie Lombard Odier SCmA purchased a new stake in shares of Valero Energy in the third quarter valued at $34,000. 78.69% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on VLO shares. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded Valero Energy from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and dropped their target price for the company from $172.00 to $165.00 in a report on Wednesday, October 9th. Barclays decreased their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $165.00 to $146.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, October 2nd. TD Cowen lowered their price target on Valero Energy from $145.00 to $140.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, October 25th. BMO Capital Markets cut their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $175.00 to $165.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, October 4th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $172.00 to $151.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, October 2nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $156.29.

Valero Energy Stock Up 5.0 %

Shares of VLO opened at $138.71 on Thursday. Valero Energy Co. has a 12 month low of $119.88 and a 12 month high of $184.79. The stock has a market cap of $44.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.44, a P/E/G ratio of 2.32 and a beta of 1.39. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $136.20 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $147.77. The company has a quick ratio of 1.11, a current ratio of 1.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The oil and gas company reported $1.14 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.98 by $0.16. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 13.07% and a net margin of 2.74%. The firm had revenue of $32.88 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $31.04 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $7.49 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was down 14.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts predict that Valero Energy Co. will post 9.32 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 20th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, November 20th will be paid a dividend of $1.07 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, November 20th. This represents a $4.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.09%. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio is 38.39%.

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.