Principal Financial Group Inc. Buys 3,065 Shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 0.8% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 368,454 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after buying an additional 3,065 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. owned approximately 0.12% of Valero Energy worth $49,752,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. International Private Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Valero Energy by 3.4% in the 2nd quarter. International Private Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,970 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $309,000 after purchasing an additional 65 shares during the last quarter. OmniStar Financial Group Inc. raised its holdings in 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. Magnus Financial Group LLC raised its holdings in Valero Energy by 4.3% in the second quarter. Magnus Financial Group LLC now owns 1,752 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $275,000 after buying an additional 73 shares during the last quarter. Main Street Financial Solutions LLC lifted its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 5.7% in the second quarter. Main Street Financial Solutions LLC now owns 1,356 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $213,000 after buying an additional 73 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Chilton Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of Valero Energy by 15.0% during the second quarter. Chilton Capital Management LLC now owns 575 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $90,000 after acquiring an additional 75 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Valero Energy Price Performance

Shares of Valero Energy stock opened at $118.59 on Monday. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $134.36 and its 200 day moving average is $142.13. Valero Energy Co. has a one year low of $117.14 and a one year high of $184.79. 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 stock has a market cap of $37.54 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.64, a P/E/G ratio of 2.43 and a beta of 1.39.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 24th. The oil and gas company reported $1.14 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.98 by $0.16. The firm had revenue of $32.88 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $31.04 billion. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 13.07% and a net margin of 2.74%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 14.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $7.49 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Valero Energy Co. will post 8.86 earnings per share for the current year.

Valero Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 20th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, November 20th were paid a $1.07 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, November 20th. This represents a $4.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.61%. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 38.39%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently issued reports on VLO. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their price objective on Valero Energy from $149.00 to $131.00 and set a “sell” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, September 16th. Scotiabank dropped their price objective on Valero Energy from $173.00 to $141.00 and set a “sector outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, October 10th. Bank of America began coverage on Valero Energy in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $150.00 target price for the company. TD Cowen dropped their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $145.00 to $140.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, October 25th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets decreased their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $175.00 to $165.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, October 4th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Valero Energy currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $155.07.

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.