2,109 Shares in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) Acquired by Cynosure Group LLC

Cynosure Group LLC bought a new position in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 2,109 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock, valued at approximately $360,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its position in Valero Energy by 10.6% during the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 43,597 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $6,178,000 after acquiring an additional 4,184 shares during the period. BKM Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Valero Energy during the fourth quarter worth approximately $26,000. OneAscent Financial Services LLC raised its holdings in Valero Energy by 9.4% in the 4th quarter. OneAscent Financial Services LLC now owns 2,806 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $365,000 after acquiring an additional 241 shares during the last quarter. Brookstone Capital Management grew its holdings in Valero Energy by 18.7% in the 4th quarter. Brookstone Capital Management now owns 5,966 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $776,000 after buying an additional 940 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Advisor Resource Council acquired a new stake in Valero Energy during the fourth quarter worth about $215,000. 78.69% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

VLO has been the topic of several research reports. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on Valero Energy from $179.00 to $156.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, July 12th. StockNews.com cut shares of Valero Energy from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 17th. TD Cowen cut their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $190.00 to $185.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 29th. Barclays dropped their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $171.00 to $165.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, July 9th. Finally, UBS Group upped their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $167.00 to $197.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 26th. One equities 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 given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $171.47.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Kimberly S. Greene sold 720 shares of Valero Energy stock in a transaction on 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 owns 13,314 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,105,209.68. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.04% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Valero Energy Stock Up 0.5 %

NYSE:VLO traded up $0.69 on Monday, hitting $149.02. 2,407,302 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,074,944. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $154.13 and a 200-day moving average price of $152.66. The company has a current ratio of 1.59, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. The company has a market cap of $48.73 billion, a PE ratio of 7.38, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.80 and a beta of 1.42. Valero Energy Co. has a 1 year low of $119.88 and a 1 year high of $184.79.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The oil and gas company reported $3.82 earnings per share (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 company had revenue of $31.76 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $32.02 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $8.27 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 12.8% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts anticipate that Valero Energy Co. will post 13.74 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 3rd. Investors of record on Thursday, August 1st will be paid a $1.07 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 1st. This represents a $4.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.87%. Valero Energy’s payout ratio is 21.20%.

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.