Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) Shares Bought by Pekin Hardy Strauss Inc.

Pekin Hardy Strauss Inc. increased its stake in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 1.5% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 6,960 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after buying an additional 100 shares during the quarter. Pekin Hardy Strauss Inc.’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $1,091,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Collective Family Office LLC grew its position in Valero Energy by 1.5% in the first quarter. Collective Family Office LLC now owns 4,040 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $690,000 after acquiring an additional 58 shares in the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 4.7% in the first quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 1,327 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $227,000 after purchasing an additional 59 shares during the period. International Private Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Valero Energy by 3.4% during the 2nd quarter. International Private Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,970 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $309,000 after purchasing an additional 65 shares in the last quarter. Aua Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Valero Energy by 3.1% during the 1st quarter. Aua Capital Management LLC now owns 2,261 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $386,000 after buying an additional 67 shares during the period. Finally, OmniStar Financial Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Valero Energy by 1.6% in the 2nd quarter. OmniStar Financial Group Inc. now owns 4,543 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $712,000 after buying an additional 70 shares in the last quarter. 78.69% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Mizuho lowered their target price on Valero Energy from $175.00 to $171.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Monday. The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their price objective on Valero Energy from $149.00 to $131.00 and set a “sell” rating on the stock in a report on Monday. Piper Sandler reduced their target price on Valero Energy from $187.00 to $169.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, June 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $178.00 to $172.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, July 2nd. Finally, Wolfe Research initiated coverage on shares of Valero Energy in a research note on Thursday, July 18th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $177.00 price objective on the stock. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $171.36.

Valero Energy Trading Up 1.6 %

Shares of NYSE VLO opened at $135.85 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $43.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 6.73, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.72 and a beta of 1.40. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $146.01 and its 200 day simple moving average is $155.37. The company has a current ratio of 1.48, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34. Valero Energy Co. has a 12-month low of $119.88 and a 12-month high of $184.79.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 25th. The oil and gas company reported $2.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.60 by $0.11. Valero Energy had a net margin of 4.25% and a return on equity of 21.01%. The company had revenue of $34.49 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $32.97 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $5.40 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down .1% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts expect that Valero Energy Co. will post 12.3 EPS for the current year.

Valero Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 3rd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, August 1st were paid a $1.07 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, August 1st. This represents a $4.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.15%. Valero Energy’s payout ratio is currently 21.20%.

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.