Avitas Wealth Management LLC Purchases 176 Shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Avitas Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 0.5% in the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 39,158 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after purchasing an additional 176 shares during the period. Valero Energy comprises 0.9% of Avitas Wealth Management LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 25th biggest position. Avitas Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $6,138,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Lynx Investment Advisory purchased a new position in Valero Energy in the second quarter worth $29,000. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC purchased a new position in shares of Valero Energy in the 1st quarter worth about $33,000. Rise Advisors LLC bought a new position in Valero Energy during the first quarter valued at about $33,000. First Foundation Advisors purchased a new stake in Valero Energy during the first quarter worth about $37,000. Finally, LRI Investments LLC bought a new stake in Valero Energy in the first quarter worth about $39,000. Institutional investors own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on VLO. Mizuho upgraded shares of Valero Energy from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and raised their price target for the stock from $165.00 to $175.00 in a research note on Wednesday, July 17th. Piper Sandler lowered their target price on Valero Energy from $187.00 to $169.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, June 14th. Wolfe Research began coverage on Valero Energy in a research report on Thursday, July 18th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $177.00 price target on the stock. 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, Argus downgraded shares of Valero Energy from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, May 16th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Valero Energy presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $174.00.

Valero Energy Price Performance

NYSE VLO traded up $2.44 on Friday, hitting $145.87. The stock had a trading volume of 1,521,457 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,995,965. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $151.01 and a 200-day moving average of $155.46. The company has a market capitalization of $46.73 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.22, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.87 and a beta of 1.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a current ratio of 1.48. Valero Energy Co. has a 52-week low of $119.88 and a 52-week high of $184.79.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 25th. The oil and gas company reported $2.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.60 by $0.11. The company had revenue of $34.49 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $32.97 billion. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 21.01% and a net margin of 4.25%. The firm’s revenue was down .1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $5.40 earnings per share. Equities analysts expect that Valero Energy Co. will post 13.06 EPS for the current year.

Valero Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 3rd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, August 1st will be issued a dividend of $1.07 per share. This represents a $4.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.93%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 1st. Valero Energy’s payout ratio is 21.20%.

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.