Valero Energy Corporation $VLO Stock Position Increased by First Command Advisory Services Inc.

First Command Advisory Services Inc. increased its position in Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO) by 218.5% in the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 2,086 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after buying an additional 1,431 shares during the period. First Command Advisory Services Inc.’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $809,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in VLO. Moore Capital Management LP purchased a new stake in Valero Energy in the 2nd quarter valued at $13,193,000. QRG Capital Management Inc. boosted its stake in Valero Energy by 5.5% during the 2nd quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 58,558 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $15,251,000 after purchasing an additional 3,037 shares during the period. Atlatl Advisers LLC purchased a new position in Valero Energy during the 3rd quarter worth $10,206,000. QP Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Valero Energy during the 3rd quarter worth $1,423,000. Finally, Jennison Associates LLC grew its position in Valero Energy by 377.1% during the 1st quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 413,437 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $102,152,000 after purchasing an additional 326,777 shares during the last quarter. 78.69% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have commented on VLO. Erste Group Bank lowered shares of Valero Energy from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 27th. Mizuho increased their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $434.00 to $436.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, November 2nd. Freedom Broker downgraded shares of Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating and set a $276.00 target price for the company. in a research note on Friday, October 23rd. Weiss Ratings raised Valero Energy from a “buy (b+)” rating to a “buy (a-)” rating in a report on Thursday, October 29th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on Valero Energy from $339.00 to $439.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 8th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $406.32.

Key Stories Impacting Valero Energy

Investors following VLO have been watching these stories:

• Positive Sentiment: The board affirmed Valero’s regular $1.20-per-share quarterly dividend, payable December 21 to shareholders of record November 24. The article also points to discounted heavy crude, favorable freight rates, and renewable-fuels operations as potential business supports. Article: How Investors May Respond to Valero Energy Dividend Affirmation
• Neutral Sentiment: A MarketWatch report said VLO underperformed competitors on Tuesday, a relative-performance note that may weigh on sentiment but does not identify a new company-specific development. Article: Valero Energy Stock Underperforms Tuesday Compared with Competitors
• Negative Sentiment: Jim Cramer advised investors to sell, arguing that Valero’s refining-cycle rally may be over and that margins could normalize further. This is a caution about the cycle and profit-taking, rather than a reported change in Valero’s operations. Article: Cramer Recommends Selling Valero Energy Stock

Valero Energy Price Performance

Valero Energy stock opened at $364.23 on Thursday. Valero Energy Corporation has a 12 month low of $159.90 and a 12 month high of $461.52. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 1.72 and a quick ratio of 1.33. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $399.54 and a 200-day simple moving average of $292.16. The stock has a market capitalization of $101.58 billion, a PE ratio of 8.19, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.18 and a beta of 0.58.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 22nd. The oil and gas company reported $23.90 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $21.17 by $2.73. Valero Energy had a net margin of 8.44% and a return on equity of 45.90%. The firm had revenue of $46.10 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $42.71 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $3.66 EPS. Valero Energy’s quarterly revenue was up 43.3% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts predict that Valero Energy Corporation will post 58.33 earnings per share for the current year.

Valero Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 21st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, November 24th will be given a dividend of $1.20 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, November 24th. This represents a $4.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.3%. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 10.80%.

Valero Energy Company Profile

Valero Energy Corporation is an international refiner and producer of transportation fuels and other petroleum products, headquartered in San Antonio, Texas. Its refining business processes crude oil and other feedstocks into products such as gasoline, diesel, jet fuel, asphalt and petrochemical feedstocks. The company markets and distributes fuels to wholesale customers and through branded distribution networks. Its refining operations span the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom, with products serving customers in North America and other markets.