Valero Energy Corporation $VLO Shares Acquired by MUFG Securities EMEA plc

MUFG Securities EMEA plc lifted its position in Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO) by 110.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 12,504 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after acquiring an additional 6,558 shares during the period. MUFG Securities EMEA plc’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $2,036,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. JPL Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Valero Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at $27,000. Torren Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Valero Energy in the fourth quarter worth about $30,000. Triumph Capital Management acquired a new position in Valero Energy during the third quarter worth about $35,000. Accordant Advisory Group Inc boosted its position in Valero Energy by 194.4% during the fourth quarter. Accordant Advisory Group Inc now owns 212 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $35,000 after acquiring an additional 140 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Basepoint Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in Valero Energy during the 4th quarter valued at about $35,000. 78.69% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Valero Energy Price Performance

VLO stock opened at $252.78 on Tuesday. Valero Energy Corporation has a 52-week low of $125.10 and a 52-week high of $263.75. The company has a quick ratio of 1.15, a current ratio of 1.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39. The stock has a market cap of $75.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.37, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.36 and a beta of 0.55. The business has a fifty day moving average of $243.02 and a two-hundred day moving average of $207.74.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The oil and gas company reported $4.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.16 by $1.06. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 15.94% and a net margin of 3.37%.The firm had revenue of $32.38 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $31.38 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.89 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 7.0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Valero Energy Corporation will post 26.51 earnings per share for the current year.

Valero Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 23rd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 21st will be paid a $1.20 dividend. This represents a $4.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 21st. Valero Energy’s payout ratio is 34.88%.

Insider Activity at Valero Energy

In other news, SVP Eric A. Fisher sold 8,311 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $227.69, for a total value of $1,892,331.59. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 42,242 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,618,080.98. This represents a 16.44% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.36% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have weighed in on VLO shares. Argus raised shares of Valero Energy to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. TD Cowen upped their price target on Valero Energy from $255.00 to $276.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, May 4th. Barclays increased their price target on Valero Energy from $184.00 to $261.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 8th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price objective on Valero Energy from $203.00 to $237.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 12th. Finally, Scotiabank raised their target price on Valero Energy from $178.00 to $226.00 and gave the stock a “sector outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 22nd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $243.65.

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.