Nilsine Partners LLC Makes New $2.44 Million Investment in Valero Energy Corporation $VLO

Nilsine Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO) in the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund purchased 14,330 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,440,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Hoey Investments Inc. bought a new stake in Valero Energy during the second quarter valued at $26,000. GFG Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of Valero Energy in the 2nd quarter worth about $27,000. Hantz Financial Services Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 1,277.8% in the 2nd quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 248 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 230 shares during the period. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates bought a new stake in shares of Valero Energy during the 3rd quarter valued at about $34,000. Finally, Ransom Advisory Ltd acquired a new stake in Valero Energy during the first quarter worth about $43,000. 78.69% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Valero Energy Stock Down 0.3%

Valero Energy stock opened at $167.85 on Tuesday. Valero Energy Corporation has a 52 week low of $99.00 and a 52 week high of $185.62. The stock has a market cap of $51.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.04, a PEG ratio of 1.19 and a beta of 0.76. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $171.22 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $154.95. The company has a current ratio of 1.60, a quick ratio of 1.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 23rd. The oil and gas company reported $3.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.15 by $0.51. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 8.69% and a net margin of 1.21%.The firm had revenue of $32.17 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $28.80 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.14 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 2.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts expect that Valero Energy Corporation will post 7.92 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 18th. Investors of record on Thursday, November 20th will be issued a dividend of $1.13 per share. This represents a $4.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, November 20th. Valero Energy’s payout ratio is presently 94.36%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Valero Energy news, CFO Jason W. Fraser sold 9,933 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $174.02, for a total value of $1,728,540.66. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 134,196 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $23,352,787.92. This represents a 6.89% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.37% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have commented on VLO. Raymond James Financial restated a “strong-buy” rating and issued a $195.00 target price (up from $181.00) on shares of Valero Energy in a research note on Friday, October 24th. Evercore ISI raised their price target on Valero Energy from $135.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a report on Friday, September 19th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on Valero Energy from $216.00 to $220.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, November 10th. Bank of America reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $195.00 target price (down from $198.00) on shares of Valero Energy in a research report on Thursday, December 11th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $177.00 to $197.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, October 24th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Valero Energy has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $183.20.

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.