Simmons Bank Purchases 214 Shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Simmons Bank lifted its position in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 4.7% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 4,806 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after acquiring an additional 214 shares during the quarter. Simmons Bank’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $649,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Valero Energy during the second quarter valued at approximately $15,945,000. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC lifted its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 1.8% during the 3rd quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 1,293,589 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $174,673,000 after acquiring an additional 22,571 shares during the last quarter. 180 Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Valero Energy during the 2nd quarter valued at $535,000. UniSuper Management Pty Ltd grew its position in Valero Energy by 223.1% in the 1st quarter. UniSuper Management Pty Ltd now owns 10,796 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $1,843,000 after acquiring an additional 7,455 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV increased its stake in Valero Energy by 23.7% in the second quarter. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV now owns 42,716 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $6,696,000 after purchasing an additional 8,198 shares during the period. 78.69% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have recently commented on VLO shares. Piper Sandler cut shares of Valero Energy from an “overweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and cut their price target for the stock from $169.00 to $123.00 in a report on Friday, September 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $172.00 to $151.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, October 2nd. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Valero Energy from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 17th. The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their price objective 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. Finally, Bank of America began coverage on Valero Energy in a report on Thursday, October 17th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $150.00 price objective on the stock. 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 given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $155.86.

Valero Energy Trading Up 1.8 %

Shares of NYSE VLO opened at $139.55 on Thursday. Valero Energy Co. has a 1-year low of $120.21 and a 1-year high of $184.79. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $135.63 and a 200 day moving average price of $146.80. The stock has a market capitalization of $44.18 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.52, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.51 and a beta of 1.39. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a current ratio of 1.57 and a quick ratio of 1.11.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The oil and gas company reported $1.14 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 business had revenue of $32.88 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $31.04 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $7.49 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 14.4% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts expect that Valero Energy Co. will post 9.1 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 20th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, November 20th will be paid a $1.07 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, November 20th. This represents a $4.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.07%. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 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.