Avitas Wealth Management LLC Increases Holdings in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Avitas Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 1.5% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 39,740 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after buying an additional 582 shares during the quarter. Avitas Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $5,366,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in VLO. Silverlake Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Valero Energy in the first quarter worth $201,000. Azzad Asset Management Inc. ADV bought a new position in Valero Energy in the 1st quarter worth $1,313,000. Norden Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Valero Energy in the 1st quarter worth about $7,683,000. Westside Investment Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 30.3% during the 1st quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 572 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $98,000 after purchasing an additional 133 shares in the last quarter. Finally, First Trust Direct Indexing L.P. raised its stake in Valero Energy by 5.1% in the first quarter. First Trust Direct Indexing L.P. now owns 13,223 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $2,257,000 after buying an additional 647 shares in the last quarter. 78.69% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have weighed in on the company. Citigroup cut their price objective 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. Scotiabank reduced their price target on Valero Energy from $173.00 to $141.00 and set a “sector outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, October 10th. BMO Capital Markets lowered their price objective on Valero Energy from $175.00 to $165.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, October 4th. Wells Fargo & Company raised shares of Valero Energy from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and reduced their target price for the stock from $172.00 to $165.00 in a research report on Wednesday, October 9th. Finally, Mizuho decreased their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $175.00 to $171.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, September 16th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $154.53.

Valero Energy Trading Down 3.3 %

Valero Energy stock opened at $127.88 on Wednesday. Valero Energy Co. has a one year low of $119.88 and a one year high of $184.79. The business’s fifty day moving average is $137.62 and its 200 day moving average is $149.13. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a current ratio of 1.48 and a quick ratio of 1.04. The stock has a market capitalization of $40.97 billion, a PE ratio of 11.47, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.45 and a beta of 1.39.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The oil and gas company reported $1.14 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.98 by $0.16. The firm had revenue of $32.88 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $31.04 billion. Valero Energy had a net margin of 2.74% and a return on equity of 13.01%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 14.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $7.49 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Valero Energy Co. will post 9.6 EPS for the current 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 issued a dividend of $1.07 per share. This represents a $4.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.35%. Valero Energy’s payout ratio 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.