Aptus Capital Advisors LLC Grows Stock Position in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Aptus Capital Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 5.7% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 5,585 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after acquiring an additional 301 shares during the quarter. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $754,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the stock. International Private Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 3.4% in the 2nd quarter. International Private Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,970 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $309,000 after buying an additional 65 shares during the last quarter. OmniStar Financial Group Inc. boosted its position in Valero Energy by 1.6% in the second quarter. OmniStar Financial Group Inc. now owns 4,543 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $712,000 after purchasing an additional 70 shares during the last quarter. Everhart Financial Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 5.5% during the 2nd quarter. Everhart Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,366 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $214,000 after purchasing an additional 71 shares during the period. St. Johns Investment Management Company LLC increased its position in shares of Valero Energy by 1.4% during the 2nd quarter. St. Johns Investment Management Company LLC now owns 5,068 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $794,000 after purchasing an additional 72 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Magnus Financial Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 4.3% in the 2nd quarter. Magnus Financial Group LLC now owns 1,752 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $275,000 after purchasing an additional 73 shares during the period. 78.69% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Valero Energy Price Performance

VLO stock opened at $140.02 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $44.33 billion, a PE ratio of 12.56, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.51 and a beta of 1.39. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $135.62 and its 200-day moving average price is $146.75. Valero Energy Co. has a one year low of $120.21 and a one year high of $184.79. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a current ratio of 1.57.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 24th. The oil and gas company reported $1.14 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $31.04 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $7.49 EPS. The business’s revenue was down 14.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Valero Energy Co. will post 9.1 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 $1.07 dividend. This represents a $4.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.06%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, November 20th. Valero Energy’s payout ratio is 38.39%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have commented on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company raised shares of Valero Energy from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and reduced their target price for the company from $172.00 to $165.00 in a report on Wednesday, October 9th. TD Cowen reduced their price objective 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. Wolfe Research began coverage on Valero Energy in a research report on Thursday, July 18th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $177.00 target price on the stock. Scotiabank reduced their price target on Valero Energy from $173.00 to $141.00 and set a “sector outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, October 10th. Finally, Citigroup lowered their price objective on Valero Energy from $192.00 to $176.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, October 25th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $155.86.

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.