Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. Grows Stake in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. lifted its holdings in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 25.0% in the third quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 160,603 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after buying an additional 32,117 shares during the period. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc.’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $21,686,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in VLO. EdgeRock Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of Valero Energy in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Lynx Investment Advisory purchased a new stake in shares of Valero Energy during the second quarter valued at $29,000. Summit Securities Group LLC purchased a new position in Valero Energy in the 2nd quarter worth $31,000. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC acquired a new stake in Valero Energy during the 1st quarter worth about $33,000. Finally, Compagnie Lombard Odier SCmA purchased a new stake in Valero Energy during the 3rd quarter valued at about $34,000. 78.69% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages recently commented on VLO. Barclays dropped their target price on Valero Energy from $165.00 to $146.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, October 2nd. Scotiabank reduced their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $173.00 to $141.00 and set a “sector outperform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, October 10th. BMO Capital Markets lowered their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $175.00 to $165.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, October 4th. StockNews.com lowered Valero Energy from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 17th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on Valero Energy from $172.00 to $151.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, October 2nd. 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 assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Valero Energy has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $156.29.

Valero Energy Stock Up 0.4 %

VLO traded up $0.58 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $136.69. 1,702,919 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,511,640. Valero Energy Co. has a 12-month low of $119.88 and a 12-month high of $184.79. The firm has a market cap of $43.27 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.26, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.47 and a beta of 1.39. The company has a current ratio of 1.57, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $135.89 and a 200 day moving average of $147.48.

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, beating 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 business had revenue of $32.88 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $31.04 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $7.49 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 14.4% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts predict that Valero Energy Co. will post 9.21 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 20th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, November 20th will be paid a dividend of $1.07 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, November 20th. This represents a $4.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.13%. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio 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.