Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) Shares Purchased by Westside Investment Management Inc.

Westside Investment Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 30.3% in the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 572 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after buying an additional 133 shares during the quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc.’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $98,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. BKM Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Valero Energy during the fourth quarter valued at about $26,000. Rise Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Valero Energy during the first quarter worth about $33,000. Wetzel Investment Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in Valero Energy during the fourth quarter worth about $36,000. FSC Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Valero Energy during the fourth quarter worth about $38,000. Finally, McIlrath & Eck LLC increased its stake in Valero Energy by 40.3% during the third quarter. McIlrath & Eck LLC now owns 303 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $43,000 after acquiring an additional 87 shares during the last quarter. 78.69% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Valero Energy Price Performance

Shares of NYSE VLO opened at $158.50 on Thursday. Valero Energy Co. has a fifty-two week low of $112.16 and a fifty-two week high of $184.79. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $157.00 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $150.88. The company has a quick ratio of 1.10, a current ratio of 1.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. The firm has a market cap of $51.83 billion, a PE ratio of 7.85, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.64 and a beta of 1.42.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 25th. The oil and gas company reported $3.82 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.18 by $0.64. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 24.82% and a net margin of 5.01%. The firm had revenue of $31.76 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $32.02 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $8.27 EPS. Valero Energy’s quarterly revenue was down 12.8% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts expect that Valero Energy Co. will post 16.09 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 28th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 30th were issued a dividend of $1.07 per share. This represents a $4.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.70%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, May 30th. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 21.20%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Valero Energy news, Director Kimberly S. Greene sold 720 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $158.12, for a total transaction of $113,846.40. Following the transaction, the director now owns 13,314 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,105,209.68. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. 0.47% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have commented on the company. UBS Group upped their price target on Valero Energy from $167.00 to $197.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 26th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on Valero Energy from $178.00 to $172.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday. Argus lowered Valero Energy from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 16th. Scotiabank increased their target price on Valero Energy from $138.00 to $165.00 and gave the company a “sector outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 11th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on Valero Energy from $130.00 to $171.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a research note on Friday, March 22nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $171.47.

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.