Cooper Financial Group Acquires 103 Shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Cooper Financial Group lifted its stake in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 1.6% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 6,526 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after acquiring an additional 103 shares during the quarter. Cooper Financial Group’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $1,114,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Bangor Savings Bank boosted its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 10.0% during the 1st quarter. Bangor Savings Bank now owns 4,869 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $831,000 after acquiring an additional 442 shares during the period. Aua Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of Valero Energy by 3.1% in the first quarter. Aua Capital Management LLC now owns 2,261 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $386,000 after purchasing an additional 67 shares during the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 12.0% during the first quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 9,026 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $1,558,000 after buying an additional 969 shares in the last quarter. RFG Advisory LLC boosted its position in shares of Valero Energy by 99.1% in the first quarter. RFG Advisory LLC now owns 4,533 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $774,000 after acquiring an additional 2,256 shares during the period. Finally, BTC Capital Management Inc. bought a new position in Valero Energy during the first quarter worth about $6,516,000. Institutional investors own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Valero Energy

In other Valero Energy news, Director Kimberly S. Greene sold 720 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $158.12, for a total value of $113,846.40. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 13,314 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,105,209.68. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.04% of the company’s stock.

Valero Energy Stock Down 1.5 %

Shares of VLO stock traded down $2.26 on Friday, reaching $150.21. 7,128,141 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,458,603. The company has a market cap of $49.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.44, a PEG ratio of 1.47 and a beta of 1.47. The company has a 50-day moving average of $158.64 and a 200-day moving average of $149.20. Valero Energy Co. has a one year low of $108.28 and a one year high of $184.79. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a current ratio of 1.59 and a quick ratio of 1.10.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The oil and gas company reported $3.82 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.18 by $0.64. The firm had revenue of $31.76 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $32.02 billion. Valero Energy had a net margin of 5.01% and a return on equity of 24.82%. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 12.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $8.27 EPS. Analysts anticipate that Valero Energy Co. will post 17.32 earnings per share for the current year.

Valero Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 28th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 30th will be given a $1.07 dividend. This represents a $4.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.85%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 30th. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio is 21.20%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

VLO has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Scotiabank upped their target price on Valero Energy from $138.00 to $165.00 and gave the company a “sector outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $177.00 to $178.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, April 1st. Barclays lowered their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $179.00 to $173.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 30th. Argus cut Valero Energy from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, May 16th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on Valero Energy from $184.00 to $179.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, June 6th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Valero Energy currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $172.00.

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.