Spirepoint Private Client LLC Invests $405,000 in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Spirepoint Private Client LLC acquired a new position in shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 2,375 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock, valued at approximately $405,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 10.6% during the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 43,597 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $6,178,000 after purchasing an additional 4,184 shares during the period. BKM Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Valero Energy in the fourth quarter valued at about $26,000. FORVIS Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 11.0% in the fourth quarter. FORVIS Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 31,096 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $4,043,000 after purchasing an additional 3,080 shares in the last quarter. OneAscent Financial Services LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 9.4% in the fourth quarter. OneAscent Financial Services LLC now owns 2,806 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $365,000 after purchasing an additional 241 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Brookstone Capital Management lifted its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 18.7% in the fourth quarter. Brookstone Capital Management now owns 5,966 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $776,000 after purchasing an additional 940 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Valero Energy news, Director Kimberly S. Greene sold 720 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $158.12, for a total transaction of $113,846.40. Following the transaction, the director now owns 13,314 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,105,209.68. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.04% of the company’s stock.

Valero Energy Stock Performance

NYSE:VLO traded up $0.55 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $148.33. 1,582,355 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,910,159. The stock has a market capitalization of $48.50 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.35, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.80 and a beta of 1.42. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $154.27 and its 200 day simple moving average is $152.40. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a current ratio of 1.59. Valero Energy Co. has a fifty-two week low of $119.09 and a fifty-two week high of $184.79.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The oil and gas company reported $3.82 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.18 by $0.64. The business had revenue of $31.76 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $32.02 billion. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 24.82% and a net margin of 5.01%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 12.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $8.27 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Valero Energy Co. will post 13.74 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 3rd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, August 1st will be paid a dividend of $1.07 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 1st. This represents a $4.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.89%. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 21.20%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

VLO has been the topic of a number of research reports. Barclays cut their price target on Valero Energy from $171.00 to $165.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, July 9th. Argus lowered Valero Energy from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, May 16th. Scotiabank boosted their price target on Valero Energy from $165.00 to $173.00 and gave the company a “sector outperform” rating in a report on Friday, July 12th. TD Cowen cut their price target on Valero Energy from $190.00 to $185.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 29th. Finally, Piper Sandler dropped their target price on Valero Energy from $187.00 to $169.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, June 14th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $171.47.

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.