Private Management Group Inc. Grows Stock Holdings in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Private Management Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 2.5% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 346,851 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after acquiring an additional 8,488 shares during the period. Valero Energy accounts for 1.7% of Private Management Group Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 6th largest position. Private Management Group Inc.’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $46,835,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. EdgeRock Capital LLC acquired a new stake in Valero Energy in the 2nd quarter worth about $27,000. Lynx Investment Advisory acquired a new stake in shares of Valero Energy in the second quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC bought a new stake in shares of Valero Energy in the first quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Summit Securities Group LLC acquired a new stake in Valero Energy during the second quarter worth approximately $31,000. Finally, First Foundation Advisors bought a new position in Valero Energy during the 1st quarter worth $37,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

VLO has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. BMO Capital Markets cut their target price on Valero Energy from $175.00 to $165.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, October 4th. Bank of America assumed coverage on shares of Valero Energy in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $150.00 price objective on the stock. Scotiabank dropped their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $173.00 to $141.00 and set a “sector outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, October 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $172.00 to $151.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, October 2nd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised Valero Energy from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and lowered their price target for the stock from $172.00 to $165.00 in a report on Wednesday, October 9th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $156.29.

Valero Energy Trading Down 1.2 %

Shares of NYSE VLO traded down $1.54 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $128.22. The stock had a trading volume of 2,169,961 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,574,284. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $136.69 and its 200 day moving average price is $148.56. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a current ratio of 1.57. Valero Energy Co. has a twelve month low of $119.88 and a twelve month high of $184.79. The firm has a market cap of $41.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.50, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.32 and a beta of 1.39.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last issued its quarterly 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. The firm had revenue of $32.88 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $31.04 billion. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 13.07% and a net margin of 2.74%. The business’s revenue was down 14.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business posted $7.49 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Valero Energy Co. will post 9.32 EPS for the current year.

Valero Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared 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 3.34%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, November 20th. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 38.39%.

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.