Erste Asset Management GmbH Takes Position in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Erste Asset Management GmbH acquired a new position in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) in the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor acquired 90,800 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock, valued at approximately $12,261,000.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of VLO. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Valero Energy during the second quarter valued at $15,945,000. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC boosted its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 1.8% in the 3rd quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 1,293,589 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $174,673,000 after purchasing an additional 22,571 shares during the last quarter. 180 Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Valero Energy during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $535,000. Ameriprise Financial Inc. raised its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 2.8% during the second quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 6,956,743 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $1,090,532,000 after buying an additional 192,397 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. lifted its holdings in Valero Energy by 130.9% in the second quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,136 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $194,000 after buying an additional 644 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Valero Energy Trading Up 0.4 %

Shares of NYSE:VLO opened at $139.08 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $44.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.47, a PEG ratio of 2.60 and a beta of 1.40. Valero Energy Co. has a 12 month low of $120.21 and a 12 month high of $184.79. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $136.92 and its 200 day simple moving average is $145.19. The company has a quick ratio of 1.11, a current ratio of 1.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The oil and gas company reported $1.14 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.98 by $0.16. The company had revenue of $32.88 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $31.04 billion. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 13.07% and a net margin of 2.74%. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 14.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $7.49 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts forecast that Valero Energy Co. will post 8.92 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 20th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, November 20th will be paid a dividend of $1.07 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, November 20th. This represents a $4.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.08%. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 38.39%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have commented on VLO. Barclays lowered their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $146.00 to $140.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, November 11th. Bank of America initiated coverage on Valero Energy in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $150.00 price objective for the company. Mizuho reduced their target price on Valero Energy from $175.00 to $171.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, September 16th. Citigroup decreased their target price on Valero Energy from $192.00 to $176.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Finally, Piper Sandler downgraded shares of Valero Energy from an “overweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and cut their price target for the company from $169.00 to $123.00 in a research report on Friday, September 20th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $155.86.

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.