Stiles Financial Services Inc Purchases 790 Shares of Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO)

Stiles Financial Services Inc boosted its position in Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO) by 5.1% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 16,310 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after purchasing an additional 790 shares during the quarter. Stiles Financial Services Inc’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $2,154,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in VLO. Ameriflex Group Inc. bought a new stake in Valero Energy in the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. OFI Invest Asset Management bought a new stake in Valero Energy in the 4th quarter valued at $37,000. Millstone Evans Group LLC bought a new stake in Valero Energy in the 4th quarter valued at $44,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of Valero Energy during the 4th quarter valued at $52,000. Finally, Transce3nd LLC bought a new stake in shares of Valero Energy during the 4th quarter valued at $58,000. 78.69% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on VLO shares. Evercore ISI started coverage on Valero Energy in a research report on Wednesday, June 18th. They set an “in-line” rating and a $135.00 target price for the company. Raymond James Financial cut their target price on Valero Energy from $165.00 to $155.00 and set a “strong-buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. UBS Group cut their target price on Valero Energy from $160.00 to $150.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 28th. TD Cowen cut their target price on Valero Energy from $121.00 to $118.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 25th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded Valero Energy from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their target price for the company from $127.00 to $154.00 in a research report on Tuesday, May 13th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Valero Energy presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $150.88.

Valero Energy Price Performance

Shares of VLO opened at $141.16 on Monday. Valero Energy Corporation has a 12-month low of $99.00 and a 12-month high of $167.78. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $125.11 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $127.52. The company has a quick ratio of 1.09, a current ratio of 1.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39. The stock has a market cap of $44.21 billion, a PE ratio of 49.88, a PEG ratio of 2.46 and a beta of 0.99.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The oil and gas company reported $0.89 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.16 by ($0.27). Valero Energy had a return on equity of 6.30% and a net margin of 0.72%. The firm had revenue of $28.76 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $28.54 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $3.82 EPS. Valero Energy’s revenue for the quarter was down 4.7% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts anticipate that Valero Energy Corporation will post 7.92 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, June 18th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, May 20th were paid a $1.13 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, May 20th. This represents a $4.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.20%. Valero Energy’s payout ratio is 159.72%.

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.