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

Beacon Investment Advisory Services Inc. increased its stake in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 3.6% during the third quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund 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.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. EdgeRock Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Valero Energy in the second quarter worth $27,000. Peterson Financial Group Inc. purchased a new stake in Valero Energy in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $28,000. Lynx Investment Advisory purchased a new position in shares of Valero Energy during the 2nd quarter valued at $29,000. Summit Securities Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Valero Energy in the second quarter worth $31,000. Finally, Compagnie Lombard Odier SCmA purchased a new stake in shares of Valero Energy during the third quarter worth $34,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Valero Energy Price Performance

Shares of Valero Energy stock opened at $139.08 on Monday. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $136.92 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $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 debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a current ratio of 1.57 and a quick ratio of 1.11. The company 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.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last released its earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The oil and gas company reported $1.14 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.98 by $0.16. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 13.07% and a net margin of 2.74%. The business had revenue of $32.88 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $31.04 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $7.49 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 14.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts expect that Valero Energy Co. will post 8.92 EPS for the current year.

Valero Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 20th. Stockholders 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 dividend yield of 3.08%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, November 20th. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 38.39%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on VLO shares. Barclays cut their price target 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. Wells Fargo & Company raised shares of Valero Energy from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and cut their price objective for the company from $172.00 to $165.00 in a research report on Wednesday, October 9th. Citigroup decreased their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $192.00 to $176.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, October 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $172.00 to $151.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, October 2nd. Finally, Mizuho lowered their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $175.00 to $171.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, September 16th. One investment 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 company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $155.86.

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.