Aviva PLC Purchases 14,958 Shares of Valero Energy Corporation $VLO

Aviva PLC lifted its position in Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO) by 6.7% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 239,120 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after acquiring an additional 14,958 shares during the quarter. Aviva PLC owned 0.08% of Valero Energy worth $32,143,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in VLO. Brown Advisory Inc. grew its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 1.9% during the first quarter. Brown Advisory Inc. now owns 16,737 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $2,210,000 after buying an additional 306 shares during the last quarter. Arizona State Retirement System lifted its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 1.6% during the 1st quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 92,909 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $12,270,000 after acquiring an additional 1,507 shares during the last quarter. Stephens Inc. AR boosted its holdings in Valero Energy by 3.7% during the 1st quarter. Stephens Inc. AR now owns 63,005 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $8,321,000 after acquiring an additional 2,248 shares during the period. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Valero Energy in the 1st quarter valued at $44,000. Finally, CWM LLC increased its stake in Valero Energy by 61.3% in the first quarter. CWM LLC now owns 39,645 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $5,236,000 after purchasing an additional 15,063 shares during the period. 78.69% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Valero Energy Stock Performance

VLO stock opened at $175.22 on Monday. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $164.33 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $145.56. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a quick ratio of 1.09 and a current ratio of 1.60. Valero Energy Corporation has a one year low of $99.00 and a one year high of $179.10. The firm has a market cap of $53.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.58, a PEG ratio of 1.77 and a beta of 1.01.

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

Valero Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 18th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, November 20th will be issued a dividend of $1.13 per share. This represents a $4.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.6%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 20th. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 94.36%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

VLO has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, October 25th. Wolfe Research cut shares of Valero Energy from an “outperform” rating to a “peer perform” rating in a research report on Monday, July 14th. Piper Sandler upped their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $200.00 to $201.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, October 24th. Bank of America raised shares of Valero Energy from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $152.00 to $179.00 in a research note on Wednesday, September 3rd. Finally, Mizuho boosted their price target on Valero Energy from $166.00 to $190.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, September 15th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $179.27.

About Valero Energy

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.