Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) Shares Purchased by Beacon Investment Advisory Services Inc.

Beacon Investment Advisory Services Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 3.6% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 26,099 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after buying an additional 906 shares during the period. Beacon Investment Advisory Services Inc.’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $3,524,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Valero Energy in the second quarter valued at about $67,000. Mather Group LLC. raised its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 462.6% during the second quarter. Mather Group LLC. now owns 16,733 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $2,856,000 after purchasing an additional 13,759 shares during the period. Lynx Investment Advisory acquired a new position in shares of Valero Energy during the second quarter worth $29,000. New England Research & Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Valero Energy in the second quarter valued at $494,000. Finally, Kingswood Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in Valero Energy by 13.9% during the 2nd quarter. Kingswood Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 7,444 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $1,167,000 after buying an additional 908 shares during the period. 78.69% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Valero Energy Stock Up 0.4 %

VLO stock opened at $139.08 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $44.03 billion, a PE ratio of 12.47, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.60 and a beta of 1.40. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $136.92 and its 200 day simple moving average is $145.19. Valero Energy Co. has a fifty-two week low of $120.21 and a fifty-two week high of $184.79. 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 quarterly earnings results 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. The company had revenue of $32.88 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $31.04 billion. Valero Energy had a net margin of 2.74% and a return on equity of 13.07%. Valero Energy’s revenue was down 14.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $7.49 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Valero Energy Co. will post 8.92 EPS for the current year.

Valero Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 20th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, November 20th will be paid a dividend of $1.07 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, November 20th. This represents a $4.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.08%. Valero Energy’s payout ratio is 38.39%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. TD Cowen decreased their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $145.00 to $140.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, October 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on Valero Energy from $172.00 to $151.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, October 2nd. Mizuho reduced their target price on Valero Energy from $175.00 to $171.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, September 16th. Bank of America initiated coverage on shares of Valero Energy in a report on Thursday, October 17th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $150.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Scotiabank cut 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 research note on Thursday, October 10th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Valero Energy 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.