Westbourne Investment Advisors Inc. Has $6.49 Million Stake in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Westbourne Investment Advisors Inc. increased its stake in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 1.7% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 48,031 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after purchasing an additional 816 shares during the period. Valero Energy makes up 2.3% of Westbourne Investment Advisors Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 14th largest position. Westbourne Investment Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $6,486,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. International Assets Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in Valero Energy by 11,318.9% in the 3rd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 1,076,349 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $145,339,000 after acquiring an additional 1,066,923 shares in the last quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC grew its position in Valero Energy by 37.6% in the first 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 in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its stake in Valero Energy by 5.8% in the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 4,319,436 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $677,007,000 after buying an additional 237,347 shares during the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 17.6% during the 2nd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 1,550,010 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $238,841,000 after buying an additional 232,494 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Westwood Holdings Group Inc. bought a new position in shares of Valero Energy in the 1st quarter valued at about $39,517,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Valero Energy Stock Performance

NYSE VLO traded down $1.54 during trading on Friday, reaching $128.22. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 2,169,961 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,574,284. The company has a current ratio of 1.57, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. The firm has a market capitalization of $41.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.50, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.32 and a beta of 1.39. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $136.69 and a 200 day moving average price of $148.42. Valero Energy Co. has a 12 month low of $119.88 and a 12 month high of $184.79.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The oil and gas company reported $1.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $31.04 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $7.49 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 14.4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Valero Energy Co. will post 9.32 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 20th. Investors of record on Wednesday, November 20th will be given a dividend of $1.07 per share. This represents a $4.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.34%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, November 20th. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio is 38.39%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

VLO has been the subject of several recent research reports. Barclays decreased their price target on Valero Energy from $165.00 to $146.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, October 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded shares of Valero Energy from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and cut their price target for the company from $172.00 to $165.00 in a research note on Wednesday, October 9th. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $149.00 to $131.00 and set a “sell” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, September 16th. Wolfe Research initiated coverage on shares of Valero Energy in a research note on Thursday, July 18th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $177.00 target price for the company. Finally, StockNews.com lowered Valero Energy from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 17th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given 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.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $156.29.

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.