Diversified Trust Co Boosts Stake in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Diversified Trust Co lifted its position in shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 150.7% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 24,555 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after acquiring an additional 14,760 shares during the quarter. Diversified Trust Co’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $4,191,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Collective Family Office LLC raised its position in shares of Valero Energy by 1.5% during the 1st quarter. Collective Family Office LLC now owns 4,040 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $690,000 after purchasing an additional 58 shares during the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc raised its position in shares of Valero Energy by 4.7% during the 1st quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 1,327 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $227,000 after purchasing an additional 59 shares during the last quarter. Aua Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of Valero Energy by 3.1% during the 1st quarter. Aua Capital Management LLC now owns 2,261 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $386,000 after purchasing an additional 67 shares during the last quarter. United Community Bank raised its position in shares of Valero Energy by 2.2% during the 4th quarter. United Community Bank now owns 3,416 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $444,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Marino Stram & Associates LLC raised its position in shares of Valero Energy by 0.9% during the 4th quarter. Marino Stram & Associates LLC now owns 8,384 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $1,090,000 after purchasing an additional 77 shares during the last quarter. 78.69% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Valero Energy Trading Up 1.0 %

Shares of NYSE:VLO traded up $1.53 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $158.29. 586,448 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,126,579. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a current ratio of 1.59 and a quick ratio of 1.10. The firm has a market cap of $51.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.79, a P/E/G ratio of 1.62 and a beta of 1.42. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $157.35 and its 200 day simple moving average is $150.47. Valero Energy Co. has a 1 year low of $112.16 and a 1 year high of $184.79.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 25th. The oil and gas company reported $3.82 earnings per share 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 analysts’ expectations of $32.02 billion. Valero Energy had a net margin of 5.01% and a return on equity of 24.82%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 12.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $8.27 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Valero Energy Co. will post 16.09 EPS for the current year.

Valero Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.70%. Valero Energy’s payout ratio is currently 21.20%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Valero Energy news, Director Kimberly S. Greene sold 720 shares of the firm’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 value of $113,846.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 13,314 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,105,209.68. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 0.47% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

VLO has been the subject of several research analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $177.00 to $178.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, April 1st. Citigroup increased their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $160.00 to $192.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, April 18th. Piper Sandler cut their price objective 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. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $130.00 to $171.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a report on Friday, March 22nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Valero Energy has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $171.87.

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.