PFG Investments LLC Raises Stock Holdings in Valero Energy Corporation $VLO

PFG Investments LLC increased its position in Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO) by 2.2% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 12,681 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after buying an additional 278 shares during the quarter. PFG Investments LLC’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $1,705,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Hoey Investments Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Valero Energy in the second quarter worth $26,000. Wayfinding Financial LLC purchased a new position in shares of Valero Energy in the first quarter worth $26,000. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. increased its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 156.6% in the first quarter. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. now owns 213 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 130 shares during the period. Ransom Advisory Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Valero Energy in the first quarter worth $43,000. Finally, Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Valero Energy in the first quarter valued at $44,000. 78.69% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently weighed in on VLO shares. Citigroup cut shares of Valero Energy from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $134.00 to $150.00 in a report on Wednesday, July 16th. Raymond James Financial lifted their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $170.00 to $177.00 and gave the company a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, September 9th. Evercore ISI lifted their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $135.00 to $185.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a report on Friday, September 19th. Mizuho lifted their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $166.00 to $190.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, September 15th. Finally, Piper Sandler lifted their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $171.00 to $200.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, September 11th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Valero Energy has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $165.00.

Valero Energy Stock Performance

Shares of VLO stock opened at $167.63 on Thursday. Valero Energy Corporation has a 12 month low of $99.00 and a 12 month high of $178.43. The stock has a market cap of $52.07 billion, a PE ratio of 69.84, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.79 and a beta of 1.05. The company has a current ratio of 1.62, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $150.40 and its 200-day moving average price is $136.51.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, July 24th. The oil and gas company reported $2.28 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.66 by $0.62. Valero Energy had a net margin of 0.62% and a return on equity of 5.76%. The firm had revenue of $29.89 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $27 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $2.71 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 13.3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts expect that Valero Energy Corporation will post 7.92 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 2nd. Investors of record on Thursday, July 31st were paid a $1.13 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, July 31st. This represents a $4.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.7%. Valero Energy’s payout ratio is presently 188.33%.

About Valero Energy

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.