Benjamin Edwards Inc. Acquires Shares of 13,966 Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Benjamin Edwards Inc. bought a new position in shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) in the third quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund bought 13,966 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,886,000.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of the business. International Private Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in Valero Energy by 3.4% during the second quarter. International Private Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,970 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $309,000 after acquiring an additional 65 shares during the last quarter. OmniStar Financial Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Valero Energy by 1.6% in the second quarter. OmniStar Financial Group Inc. now owns 4,543 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $712,000 after purchasing an additional 70 shares in the last quarter. Everhart Financial Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 5.5% in the second quarter. Everhart Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,366 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $214,000 after purchasing an additional 71 shares during the last quarter. St. Johns Investment Management Company LLC lifted its position in Valero Energy by 1.4% during the second quarter. St. Johns Investment Management Company LLC now owns 5,068 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $794,000 after buying an additional 72 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Magnus Financial Group LLC boosted its stake in Valero Energy by 4.3% during the second quarter. Magnus Financial Group LLC now owns 1,752 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $275,000 after buying an additional 73 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Valero Energy Stock Down 0.8 %

Shares of NYSE:VLO opened at $133.05 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $42.12 billion, a PE ratio of 11.93, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.57 and a beta of 1.39. Valero Energy Co. has a 1 year low of $120.21 and a 1 year high of $184.79. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a current ratio of 1.57 and a quick ratio of 1.11. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $137.07 and its two-hundred day moving average is $144.70.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The oil and gas company reported $1.14 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.98 by $0.16. Valero Energy had a net margin of 2.74% and a return on equity of 13.07%. The firm had revenue of $32.88 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $31.04 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $7.49 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 14.4% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts predict that Valero Energy Co. will post 8.92 EPS for the current year.

Valero Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 20th. Investors of record on Wednesday, November 20th will be issued a $1.07 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, November 20th. This represents a $4.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.22%. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 38.39%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

VLO has been the topic of several analyst reports. The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their price target on Valero Energy from $149.00 to $131.00 and set a “sell” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, September 16th. Scotiabank decreased their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $173.00 to $141.00 and set a “sector outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, October 10th. Mizuho cut their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $175.00 to $171.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Monday, September 16th. Citigroup decreased their price objective on Valero Energy from $192.00 to $176.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, October 25th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on Valero Energy from $172.00 to $151.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, October 2nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price 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.