Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB Acquires New Holdings in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB bought a new stake in shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) in the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund bought 2,530 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock, valued at approximately $342,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Arvest Bank Trust Division bought a new position in Valero Energy in the third quarter valued at about $7,609,000. World Investment Advisors LLC grew its position in Valero Energy by 34.7% during the third quarter. World Investment Advisors LLC now owns 4,245 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $573,000 after buying an additional 1,093 shares during the period. Sanctuary Advisors LLC raised its position in Valero Energy by 5.4% in the third quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC now owns 132,451 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $18,664,000 after acquiring an additional 6,844 shares during the period. Anchor Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 13.1% during the 3rd quarter. Anchor Investment Management LLC now owns 11,820 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $1,596,000 after acquiring an additional 1,370 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Westside Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 18.1% in the 3rd quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 679 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $92,000 after purchasing an additional 104 shares in the last quarter. 78.69% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Valero Energy Price Performance

Shares of Valero Energy stock opened at $125.07 on Tuesday. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $135.89 and a 200-day moving average price of $143.00. Valero Energy Co. has a one year low of $124.02 and a one year high of $184.79. The stock has a market cap of $39.60 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.22, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.43 and a beta of 1.39. 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 posted its quarterly earnings data 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 for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $31.04 billion. During the same quarter in the previous 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 expect that Valero Energy Co. will post 8.86 EPS for the current year.

Valero Energy Announces Dividend

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 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.42%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, November 20th. Valero Energy’s payout ratio is currently 38.39%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on VLO shares. Piper Sandler cut Valero Energy from an “overweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and lowered their price objective for the company from $169.00 to $123.00 in a research report on Friday, September 20th. Scotiabank decreased their price target on Valero Energy from $173.00 to $141.00 and set a “sector outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, October 10th. Barclays dropped their price objective on Valero Energy from $146.00 to $140.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, November 11th. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their price target on Valero Energy from $149.00 to $131.00 and set a “sell” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, September 16th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $172.00 to $151.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, October 2nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $155.07.

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.