Valero Energy Corporation $VLO Shares Purchased by SCP Investment LP

SCP Investment LP boosted its position in shares of Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO) by 73.7% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 6,600 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,800 shares during the period. Valero Energy comprises 0.9% of SCP Investment LP’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 24th biggest holding. SCP Investment LP’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $1,124,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Highline Wealth Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of Valero Energy by 70.2% during the 3rd quarter. Highline Wealth Partners LLC now owns 160 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 66 shares during the last quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. raised its stake in Valero Energy by 1,277.8% in the second 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 in the last quarter. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates purchased a new stake in Valero Energy during the 3rd quarter worth about $34,000. Cypress Capital Management LLC WY acquired a new position in shares of Valero Energy during the 3rd quarter worth about $34,000. Finally, Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 145.3% in the 3rd quarter. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 211 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $36,000 after acquiring an additional 125 shares during the last quarter. 78.69% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on VLO shares. UBS Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Valero Energy in a report on Tuesday, January 6th. Argus upgraded shares of Valero Energy to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Bank of America reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $195.00 price target (down from $198.00) on shares of Valero Energy in a research note on Thursday, December 11th. Citigroup upped their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $190.00 to $212.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, February 9th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, February 7th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating and ten have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $187.67.

Insider Transactions at Valero Energy

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

Valero Energy Trading Down 1.5%

NYSE VLO opened at $197.16 on Wednesday. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $180.39 and its two-hundred day moving average is $168.47. Valero Energy Corporation has a one year low of $99.00 and a one year high of $206.77. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a quick ratio of 1.09 and a current ratio of 1.60. The firm has a market cap of $60.14 billion, a PE ratio of 25.81, a P/E/G ratio of 1.04 and a beta of 0.77.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The oil and gas company reported $3.82 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.27 by $0.55. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 12.34% and a net margin of 1.91%.The firm had revenue of $30.37 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $28.20 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.64 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.2% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts expect that Valero Energy Corporation will post 7.92 earnings per share for the current year.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 9th. Investors of record on Thursday, February 5th will be given a $1.20 dividend. This is a positive change from Valero Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.13. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, February 5th. This represents a $4.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.4%. Valero Energy’s payout ratio is 62.83%.

Valero Energy Profile

Valero Energy Corporation is a San Antonio, Texas–based integrated downstream energy company that manufactures and markets transportation fuels, petrochemical feedstocks and other industrial products. The company’s operations focus on refining crude oil into finished fuels such as gasoline, diesel and jet fuel, as well as producing asphalt and other refined product streams for commercial and industrial customers.

In addition to refining, Valero has significant operations in renewable fuels, including the production of ethanol and other biofuels, and it manages an extensive logistics network of pipelines, terminals, rail and marine assets to move feedstocks and finished products.