Aptus Capital Advisors LLC Raises Stock Position in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Aptus Capital Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 5.7% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 5,585 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after buying an additional 301 shares during the quarter. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $754,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. EdgeRock Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of Valero Energy in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Lynx Investment Advisory bought a new stake in Valero Energy in the second quarter worth $29,000. Summit Securities Group LLC purchased a new position in Valero Energy during the second quarter worth $31,000. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC purchased a new position in Valero Energy during the first quarter worth $33,000. Finally, Compagnie Lombard Odier SCmA bought a new position in Valero Energy during the third quarter valued at $34,000. Institutional investors own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms recently commented on VLO. Piper Sandler downgraded shares of Valero Energy from an “overweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and cut their price target for the company from $169.00 to $123.00 in a report on Friday, September 20th. Citigroup cut their target price on Valero Energy from $192.00 to $176.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Wells Fargo & Company raised Valero Energy from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and decreased their price target for the stock from $172.00 to $165.00 in a research note on Wednesday, October 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on 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, Wolfe Research began coverage on Valero Energy in a research report on Thursday, July 18th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $177.00 target price for the company. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $155.86.

Valero Energy Trading Up 0.3 %

NYSE:VLO opened at $140.02 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a current ratio of 1.57. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $135.62 and a 200-day simple moving average of $146.75. Valero Energy Co. has a one year low of $120.21 and a one year high of $184.79. The firm has a market cap of $44.33 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.56, a P/E/G ratio of 2.51 and a beta of 1.39.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last posted 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. The company had revenue of $32.88 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $31.04 billion. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 13.07% and a net margin of 2.74%. Valero Energy’s revenue was down 14.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $7.49 earnings per share. Equities analysts anticipate that Valero Energy Co. will post 9.1 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Announces Dividend

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 $1.07 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, November 20th. This represents a $4.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.06%. 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.