United Capital Management of KS Inc. Acquires 625 Shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

United Capital Management of KS Inc. increased its holdings in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 0.9% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 70,232 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after purchasing an additional 625 shares during the quarter. Valero Energy makes up 2.4% of United Capital Management of KS Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 14th biggest holding. United Capital Management of KS Inc.’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $11,010,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Americana Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Valero Energy during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $281,000. Pinnacle Associates Ltd. boosted its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 0.4% in the 2nd quarter. Pinnacle Associates Ltd. now owns 71,959 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $11,280,000 after purchasing an additional 267 shares during the last quarter. Forum Financial Management LP raised its stake in Valero Energy by 7.4% during the second quarter. Forum Financial Management LP now owns 6,208 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $973,000 after buying an additional 426 shares during the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in Valero Energy by 4.4% in the second quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 9,426 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $1,478,000 after buying an additional 400 shares during the period. Finally, Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd boosted its position in Valero Energy by 2.1% during the second quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd now owns 38,771 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $6,078,000 after acquiring an additional 788 shares during the last quarter. 78.69% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Valero Energy Trading Up 3.5 %

NYSE:VLO opened at $146.73 on Friday. Valero Energy Co. has a 52 week low of $119.88 and a 52 week high of $184.79. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $150.21 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $155.51. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a current ratio of 1.48. The firm has a market cap of $47.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.27, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 1.42.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 25th. The oil and gas company reported $2.71 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.60 by $0.11. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 21.01% and a net margin of 4.25%. The company had revenue of $34.49 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $32.97 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $5.40 earnings per share. Valero Energy’s revenue was down .1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts expect that Valero Energy Co. will post 12.86 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 3rd. Investors of record on Thursday, August 1st will be issued a $1.07 dividend. This represents a $4.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.92%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 1st. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 21.20%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

VLO has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Wolfe Research assumed coverage on Valero Energy in a research note on Thursday, July 18th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $177.00 price objective on the stock. Argus downgraded shares of Valero Energy from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 16th. Piper Sandler dropped their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $187.00 to $169.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, June 14th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $156.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, July 26th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on Valero Energy from $178.00 to $172.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, July 2nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Valero Energy has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $174.00.

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.