Richardson Financial Services Inc. Buys 145 Shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Richardson Financial Services Inc. raised its stake in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 41.4% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 495 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after acquiring an additional 145 shares during the quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc.’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $78,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Collective Family Office LLC boosted its position in 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 buying an additional 58 shares during the period. Versant Capital Management Inc raised its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 4.7% during the first quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 1,327 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $227,000 after acquiring an additional 59 shares during the last quarter. International Private Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 3.4% during the second 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 period. Aua Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 3.1% in the first 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. Finally, OmniStar Financial Group Inc. increased 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 valued at $712,000 after purchasing an additional 70 shares during the period. 78.69% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Valero Energy Price Performance

VLO stock opened at $138.67 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a current ratio of 1.48 and a quick ratio of 1.04. The company’s 50-day moving average is $145.69 and its 200-day moving average is $155.13. The stock has a market capitalization of $44.43 billion, a PE ratio of 6.87, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.72 and a beta of 1.40. Valero Energy Co. has a 1 year low of $119.88 and a 1 year high of $184.79.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 25th. The oil and gas company reported $2.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.60 by $0.11. The business had revenue of $34.49 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $32.97 billion. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 21.01% and a net margin of 4.25%. The company’s quarterly revenue was down .1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $5.40 earnings per share. Equities research analysts expect that Valero Energy Co. will post 12.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 3rd. Investors of record on Thursday, August 1st were given a $1.07 dividend. This represents a $4.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.09%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, August 1st. Valero Energy’s payout ratio is currently 21.20%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

VLO has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Barclays reduced their price target on Valero Energy from $171.00 to $165.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, July 9th. Mizuho reduced their target price on Valero Energy from $175.00 to $171.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Monday. Wolfe Research assumed coverage on shares of Valero Energy in a research report on Thursday, July 18th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $177.00 target price for the company. Scotiabank boosted their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $165.00 to $173.00 and gave the stock a “sector outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, July 12th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $149.00 to $131.00 and set a “sell” rating for the company in a research report on Monday. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $171.36.

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.