Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) Stake Increased by Montag A & Associates Inc.

Montag A & Associates Inc. grew its holdings in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 4.9% in the second quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,914 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after purchasing an additional 136 shares during the period. Montag A & Associates Inc.’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $457,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of VLO. EdgeRock Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Valero Energy in the second quarter valued at $27,000. Lynx Investment Advisory purchased a new stake in shares of Valero Energy in the second quarter valued at $29,000. Summit Securities Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Valero Energy in the second quarter worth $31,000. Rise Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Valero Energy in the first quarter worth $33,000. Finally, Pathway Financial Advisers LLC acquired a new position in shares of Valero Energy in the first quarter worth $33,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Valero Energy Stock Performance

NYSE:VLO opened at $146.73 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 1.48, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34. The stock has a market capitalization of $47.01 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.27, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 1.40. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $150.21 and a 200-day moving average of $155.71. Valero Energy Co. has a 1 year low of $119.88 and a 1 year high of $184.79.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 25th. The oil and gas company reported $2.71 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.60 by $0.11. The business had revenue of $34.49 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $32.97 billion. Valero Energy had a net margin of 4.25% and a return on equity of 21.01%. Valero Energy’s revenue for the quarter was down .1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $5.40 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Valero Energy Co. will post 12.86 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 3rd. Investors of record on Thursday, August 1st will be issued a $1.07 dividend. This represents a $4.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.92%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 1st. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 21.20%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on VLO shares. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $156.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, July 26th. Piper Sandler lowered their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $187.00 to $169.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, June 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $178.00 to $172.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, July 2nd. Scotiabank increased their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $165.00 to $173.00 and gave the company a “sector outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, July 12th. Finally, Barclays reduced their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $171.00 to $165.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, July 9th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $174.00.

Valero Energy 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.