Morse Asset Management Inc Buys 435 Shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Morse Asset Management Inc lifted its stake in shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 4.5% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 10,115 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after acquiring an additional 435 shares during the quarter. Morse Asset Management Inc’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $1,727,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of VLO. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Valero Energy during the fourth quarter valued at $570,428,000. Putnam Investments LLC increased its position in Valero Energy by 3.7% during the fourth quarter. Putnam Investments LLC now owns 3,445,821 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $447,957,000 after acquiring an additional 122,207 shares during the last quarter. Montrusco Bolton Investments Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 18.7% in the 4th quarter. Montrusco Bolton Investments Inc. now owns 2,389,654 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $310,655,000 after acquiring an additional 376,449 shares during the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD boosted its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 3.3% during the 1st quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 2,063,923 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $352,292,000 after purchasing an additional 65,632 shares during the period. Finally, Acadian Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in Valero Energy by 37.6% during the 1st quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 1,558,750 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $266,040,000 after purchasing an additional 426,093 shares during the last quarter. 78.69% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Valero Energy

In other Valero Energy news, Director Kimberly S. Greene sold 720 shares of Valero Energy stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $158.12, for a total value of $113,846.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 13,314 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,105,209.68. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 0.04% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Valero Energy Stock Performance

VLO traded up $2.12 during trading on Friday, reaching $159.12. 3,151,478 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,537,062. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $153.61 and its 200-day simple moving average is $153.38. The stock has a market capitalization of $52.03 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.88, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.01 and a beta of 1.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a current ratio of 1.59 and a quick ratio of 1.10. Valero Energy Co. has a 1 year low of $119.88 and a 1 year high of $184.79.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, July 25th. The oil and gas company reported $2.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.60 by $0.11. The company had revenue of $34.49 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $32.97 billion. Valero Energy had a net margin of 4.25% and a return on equity of 20.97%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down .1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $5.40 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts predict that Valero Energy Co. will post 13.1 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 3rd. Investors of record on Thursday, August 1st will be given a dividend of $1.07 per share. This represents a $4.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.69%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 1st. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 21.20%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the company. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on Valero Energy from $156.00 to $165.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday. Citigroup lifted their target price on Valero Energy from $160.00 to $192.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 18th. Barclays dropped their price objective on Valero Energy from $171.00 to $165.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, July 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on Valero Energy from $178.00 to $172.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, July 2nd. Finally, TD Cowen reduced their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $190.00 to $185.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 29th. 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’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $172.07.

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.