Pasadena Private Wealth LLC Invests $229,000 in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Pasadena Private Wealth LLC bought a new position in shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) in the first quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm bought 1,344 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock, valued at approximately $229,000.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of VLO. BKM Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Valero Energy during the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Rise Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Valero Energy during the first quarter worth about $33,000. Wetzel Investment Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Valero Energy during the fourth quarter worth about $36,000. FSC Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Valero Energy during the fourth quarter worth about $38,000. Finally, McIlrath & Eck LLC lifted its holdings in Valero Energy by 40.3% in the third quarter. McIlrath & Eck LLC now owns 303 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $43,000 after buying an additional 87 shares during the period. 78.69% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Valero Energy Stock Up 0.1 %

Shares of NYSE VLO traded up $0.16 on Friday, reaching $154.20. 305,756 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,118,061. Valero Energy Co. has a 12 month low of $112.16 and a 12 month high of $184.79. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $157.66 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $149.83. The company has a market cap of $50.42 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.63, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.53 and a beta of 1.47. The company has a quick ratio of 1.10, a current ratio of 1.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The oil and gas company reported $3.82 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.18 by $0.64. The company had revenue of $31.76 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $32.02 billion. Valero Energy had a net margin of 5.01% and a return on equity of 24.82%. The firm’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 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Valero Energy Co. will post 16.75 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 28th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 30th will be given a dividend of $1.07 per share. This represents a $4.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.78%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 30th. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 21.20%.

Insider Activity at Valero Energy

In related news, Director Kimberly S. Greene sold 720 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $158.12, for a total transaction of $113,846.40. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 13,314 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,105,209.68. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.04% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have commented on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $184.00 to $179.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, June 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $177.00 to $178.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, April 1st. StockNews.com lowered shares of Valero Energy from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Sunday, June 23rd. Argus lowered shares of Valero Energy from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, May 16th. Finally, Scotiabank raised their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $138.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a “sector outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, April 11th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Valero Energy presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $172.00.

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.