Intech Investment Management LLC Purchases 31,616 Shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Intech Investment Management LLC raised its position in shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 31.5% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 131,943 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after acquiring an additional 31,616 shares during the period. Intech Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $17,816,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of VLO. International Private Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of 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 valued at $309,000 after acquiring an additional 65 shares in the last quarter. OmniStar Financial Group Inc. raised its holdings 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 worth $712,000 after buying an additional 70 shares during the last quarter. Everhart Financial Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 5.5% during the second quarter. Everhart Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,366 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $214,000 after buying an additional 71 shares during the period. St. Johns Investment Management Company LLC grew its holdings in shares of 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 valued at $794,000 after buying an additional 72 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Magnus Financial Group LLC increased its position in shares of Valero Energy by 4.3% in the 2nd quarter. Magnus Financial Group LLC now owns 1,752 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $275,000 after acquiring an additional 73 shares during the period. 78.69% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Valero Energy Price Performance

Shares of NYSE VLO opened at $141.20 on Thursday. 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 fifty day moving average of $136.32 and a 200 day moving average of $146.12. The firm has a market cap of $44.70 billion, a PE ratio of 12.66, a PEG ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 1.39. Valero Energy Co. has a one year low of $120.21 and a one year high of $184.79.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last released its quarterly 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 during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $31.04 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $7.49 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 14.4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts predict that Valero Energy Co. will post 8.92 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 20th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, November 20th will be paid a $1.07 dividend. This represents a $4.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.03%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, November 20th. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 38.39%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have weighed in on VLO. Barclays dropped their price target on Valero Energy from $146.00 to $140.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, November 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $172.00 to $151.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, October 2nd. Mizuho dropped their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $175.00 to $171.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, September 16th. TD Cowen decreased their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $145.00 to $140.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Finally, Citigroup cut their price target on Valero Energy from $192.00 to $176.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, October 25th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Valero Energy presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $155.86.

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.