Freedom Investment Management Inc. Has $1.23 Million Holdings in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Freedom Investment Management Inc. lessened its stake in shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 5.0% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 9,126 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 480 shares during the period. Freedom Investment Management Inc.’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $1,232,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Cynosure Group LLC raised its holdings in Valero Energy by 9.2% during the 3rd quarter. Cynosure Group LLC now owns 2,741 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $370,000 after buying an additional 232 shares during the period. Transamerica Financial Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in Valero Energy by 48.7% during the 3rd quarter. Transamerica Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 1,383 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $187,000 after buying an additional 453 shares during the period. Quantbot Technologies LP acquired a new stake in Valero Energy during the 3rd quarter worth about $6,573,000. Summit Financial Wealth Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Valero Energy by 0.4% during the 3rd quarter. Summit Financial Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 85,792 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $11,584,000 after buying an additional 319 shares during the period. Finally, Dai ichi Life Insurance Company Ltd grew its stake in Valero Energy by 183.4% during the 3rd quarter. Dai ichi Life Insurance Company Ltd now owns 7,726 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $1,043,000 after acquiring an additional 5,000 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have weighed in on VLO shares. TD Cowen lowered their target price on Valero Energy from $145.00 to $140.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Wells Fargo & Company raised Valero Energy from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and lowered their target price for the company from $172.00 to $165.00 in a research note on Wednesday, October 9th. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their target price on Valero Energy from $149.00 to $131.00 and set a “sell” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, September 16th. Piper Sandler cut Valero Energy from an “overweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and lowered their target price for the company from $169.00 to $123.00 in a research note on Friday, September 20th. Finally, Mizuho lowered their target price on Valero Energy from $175.00 to $171.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, September 16th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $155.86.

Valero Energy Stock Down 0.9 %

VLO opened at $138.55 on Thursday. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $136.83 and a 200 day moving average price of $145.51. Valero Energy Co. has a twelve month low of $120.21 and a twelve month high of $184.79. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a current ratio of 1.57. The firm has a market cap of $43.86 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.43, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.61 and a beta of 1.39.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last posted 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 return on equity of 13.07% and a net margin of 2.74%. The firm had revenue of $32.88 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $31.04 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $7.49 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 14.4% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts forecast that Valero Energy Co. will post 8.92 EPS for the current year.

Valero Energy Dividend Announcement

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 is Wednesday, November 20th. This represents a $4.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.09%. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 38.39%.

Valero Energy Company 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.