Occidental Asset Management LLC Purchases New Holdings in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Occidental Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) in the first quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor purchased 1,184 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock, valued at approximately $202,000.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. BKM Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Valero Energy during the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Rise Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Valero Energy during the 1st quarter valued at about $33,000. Wetzel Investment Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in Valero Energy during the 4th quarter valued at about $36,000. FSC Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Valero Energy during the 4th quarter valued at about $38,000. Finally, McIlrath & Eck LLC lifted its position in Valero Energy by 40.3% during the 3rd quarter. McIlrath & Eck LLC now owns 303 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $43,000 after acquiring an additional 87 shares during the period. 78.69% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Valero Energy Stock Performance

Shares of VLO stock opened at $156.76 on Friday. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $157.35 and a 200-day moving average price of $150.29. Valero Energy Co. has a 52 week low of $112.16 and a 52 week high of $184.79. The firm has a market capitalization of $51.26 billion, a PE ratio of 7.76, a P/E/G ratio of 1.62 and a beta of 1.47. The company has a quick ratio of 1.10, a current ratio of 1.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The oil and gas company reported $3.82 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.18 by $0.64. The firm had revenue of $31.76 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $32.02 billion. Valero Energy had a net margin of 5.01% and a return on equity of 24.82%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 12.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $8.27 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Valero Energy Co. will post 16.09 earnings per share for the current year.

Valero Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 28th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 30th were given a dividend of $1.07 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, May 30th. This represents a $4.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.73%. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 21.20%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

VLO has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. UBS Group lifted their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $167.00 to $197.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 26th. Piper Sandler decreased their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $187.00 to $169.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, June 14th. Mizuho decreased their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $176.00 to $171.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, June 20th. Bank of America raised shares of Valero Energy from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $156.00 to $210.00 in a report on Friday, March 15th. Finally, StockNews.com cut shares of Valero Energy from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Sunday, June 23rd. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $172.00.

Insider Activity at Valero Energy

In related news, Director Kimberly S. Greene sold 720 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $158.12, for a total transaction of $113,846.40. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 13,314 shares in the company, valued at $2,105,209.68. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 0.04% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.