Montrusco Bolton Investments Inc. Boosts Holdings in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Montrusco Bolton Investments Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 6.3% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,533,434 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after acquiring an additional 151,200 shares during the quarter. Valero Energy makes up 3.6% of Montrusco Bolton Investments Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 13th largest position. Montrusco Bolton Investments Inc.’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $342,090,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in VLO. International Assets Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in Valero Energy by 11,318.9% during the 3rd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 1,076,349 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $145,339,000 after acquiring an additional 1,066,923 shares in the last quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 18.8% during the 3rd quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 3,585,166 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $484,105,000 after purchasing an additional 567,059 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 5.8% during the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 4,319,436 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $677,007,000 after purchasing an additional 237,347 shares during the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 17.6% during the 2nd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 1,550,010 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $238,841,000 after purchasing an additional 232,494 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Westwood Holdings Group Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Valero Energy during the 1st quarter worth about $39,517,000. 78.69% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

VLO has been the topic of several analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased 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 note on Wednesday, October 2nd. Citigroup decreased their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $192.00 to $176.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Bank of America initiated coverage on shares of Valero Energy in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $150.00 price target on the stock. TD Cowen decreased their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $145.00 to $140.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $149.00 to $131.00 and set a “sell” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, September 16th. One 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 issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $155.86.

Valero Energy Trading Down 0.2 %

Shares of VLO stock opened at $140.87 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $44.60 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.63, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.64 and a beta of 1.39. The company has a quick ratio of 1.11, a current ratio of 1.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. Valero Energy Co. has a fifty-two week low of $120.21 and a fifty-two week high of $184.79. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $136.59 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $145.97.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The oil and gas company reported $1.14 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.98 by $0.16. The firm had revenue of $32.88 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $31.04 billion. Valero Energy had a net margin of 2.74% and a return on equity of 13.07%. Valero Energy’s revenue was down 14.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $7.49 earnings per share. On average, analysts anticipate 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 paid a dividend of $1.07 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, November 20th. This represents a $4.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.04%. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 38.39%.

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.