Quest Partners LLC Buys Shares of 5,096 Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Quest Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund bought 5,096 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock, valued at approximately $662,000.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in VLO. BKM Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Valero Energy during the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Valero Energy during the 3rd quarter valued at $28,000. Wetzel Investment Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Valero Energy during the 4th quarter valued at $36,000. FSC Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Valero Energy during the 4th quarter valued at $38,000. Finally, Authentikos Wealth Advisory LLC acquired a new position in shares of Valero Energy during the 3rd quarter valued at $42,000. Institutional investors own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Valero Energy Trading Down 0.2 %

Shares of VLO opened at $162.00 on Thursday. Valero Energy Co. has a 12-month low of $105.66 and a 12-month high of $184.79. The firm has a market capitalization of $52.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.02, a P/E/G ratio of 1.49 and a beta of 1.55. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $166.46 and its 200 day moving average price is $144.58. 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 released its quarterly earnings data 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. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 24.82% and a net margin of 5.01%. The company had revenue of $31.76 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $32.02 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $8.27 EPS. The company’s revenue was down 12.8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts predict that Valero Energy Co. will post 18.18 earnings per share for the current year.

Valero Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 28th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 30th will be issued a $1.07 dividend. This represents a $4.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.64%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, May 29th. Valero Energy’s payout ratio is currently 21.20%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on Valero Energy from $177.00 to $178.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, April 1st. Piper Sandler decreased their target price on Valero Energy from $198.00 to $187.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, May 14th. Bank of America upgraded Valero Energy from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $156.00 to $210.00 in a report on Friday, March 15th. Scotiabank lifted their price target on Valero Energy from $138.00 to $165.00 and gave the company a “sector outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, April 11th. Finally, TD Cowen lowered 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. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $173.87.

Insider Transactions at Valero Energy

In other news, Director Kimberly S. Greene sold 720 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $158.12, for a total value of $113,846.40. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 13,314 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,105,209.68. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.04% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.