Neo Ivy Capital Management Buys New Holdings in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Neo Ivy Capital Management purchased a new position in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor purchased 679 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock, valued at approximately $88,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in VLO. United Community Bank increased its holdings in Valero Energy by 2.2% during the 4th quarter. United Community Bank now owns 3,416 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $444,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares in the last quarter. Marino Stram & Associates LLC raised its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 0.9% in the fourth quarter. Marino Stram & Associates LLC now owns 8,384 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $1,090,000 after purchasing an additional 77 shares during the last quarter. Montag A & Associates Inc. lifted its position in shares of Valero Energy by 0.9% during the fourth quarter. Montag A & Associates Inc. now owns 8,899 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $1,157,000 after purchasing an additional 78 shares in the last quarter. Arkadios Wealth Advisors grew its position in Valero Energy by 5.0% in the 4th quarter. Arkadios Wealth Advisors now owns 1,690 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $220,000 after purchasing an additional 81 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Fulcrum Equity Management increased its stake in Valero Energy by 1.0% in the 4th quarter. Fulcrum Equity Management now owns 8,806 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $1,145,000 after buying an additional 86 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Valero Energy Price Performance

VLO stock traded up $0.25 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $150.07. 2,641,848 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,656,299. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a current ratio of 1.59 and a quick ratio of 1.10. The stock has a market capitalization of $49.07 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.43, a PEG ratio of 1.41 and a beta of 1.47. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $161.24 and a 200 day moving average price of $148.16. Valero Energy Co. has a 12 month low of $108.28 and a 12 month high of $184.79.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The oil and gas company reported $3.82 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.18 by $0.64. Valero Energy had a net margin of 5.01% and a return on equity of 24.82%. The business had revenue of $31.76 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $32.02 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $8.27 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 12.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Valero Energy Co. will post 17.74 EPS for the current year.

Valero Energy Dividend Announcement

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Kimberly S. Greene sold 720 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 9th. The shares were 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 approximately $2,105,209.68. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Insiders own 0.04% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on VLO shares. UBS Group lifted their target price on Valero Energy from $167.00 to $197.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 26th. Citigroup increased their price target on Valero Energy from $160.00 to $192.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 18th. Piper Sandler lowered their price objective on Valero Energy from $187.00 to $169.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $130.00 to $171.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a report on Friday, March 22nd. Finally, Argus downgraded Valero Energy from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 16th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned 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 price target of $172.33.

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.