Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) Shares Purchased by Hudson Capital Management LLC

Hudson Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 6.5% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 31,792 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after buying an additional 1,937 shares during the quarter. Hudson Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $3,897,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Peterson Financial Group Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Valero Energy during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Compagnie Lombard Odier SCmA purchased a new position in Valero Energy in the third quarter valued at $34,000. True Wealth Design LLC boosted its stake in Valero Energy by 196.8% in the third quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 276 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $37,000 after acquiring an additional 183 shares in the last quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in Valero Energy in the third quarter valued at $38,000. Finally, Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Valero Energy during the third quarter worth about $50,000. 78.69% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have issued reports on VLO. BMO Capital Markets dropped their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $175.00 to $165.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, October 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $172.00 to $151.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, October 2nd. Scotiabank reduced their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $173.00 to $141.00 and set a “sector outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, October 10th. Bank of America started coverage on shares of Valero Energy in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $150.00 target price for the company. Finally, TD Cowen reduced their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $145.00 to $140.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, October 25th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Valero Energy currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $154.57.

Valero Energy Stock Down 3.2 %

VLO opened at $135.00 on Thursday. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $131.36 and its 200 day simple moving average is $137.98. Valero Energy Co. has a 52 week low of $116.84 and a 52 week high of $184.79. The stock has a market cap of $42.74 billion, a PE ratio of 12.11, a P/E/G ratio of 2.90 and a beta of 1.42. 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 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 net margin of 2.74% and a return on equity of 13.07%. The business had revenue of $32.88 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $31.04 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $7.49 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 14.4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts expect that Valero Energy Co. will post 7.93 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 3rd. Investors of record on Thursday, January 30th will be paid a dividend of $1.13 per share. This is a boost from Valero Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.07. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, January 30th. This represents a $4.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.35%. Valero Energy’s payout ratio is 38.39%.

Valero Energy 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.