Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd Acquires 9,839 Shares of Valero Energy Corporation $VLO

Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd lifted its holdings in Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO) by 25.2% in the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 48,883 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after buying an additional 9,839 shares during the quarter. Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $8,323,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of VLO. Highline Wealth Partners LLC increased its position in Valero Energy by 70.2% during the third quarter. Highline Wealth Partners LLC now owns 160 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 66 shares during the last quarter. JPL Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Valero Energy in the third quarter worth about $27,000. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates bought a new stake in shares of Valero Energy during the 3rd quarter worth about $34,000. Cypress Capital Management LLC WY bought a new stake in shares of Valero Energy during the 3rd quarter worth about $34,000. Finally, Triumph Capital Management acquired a new position in shares of Valero Energy during the 3rd quarter valued at about $35,000. 78.69% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Valero Energy news, SVP Eric A. Fisher sold 8,311 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $227.69, for a total value of $1,892,331.59. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 42,242 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $9,618,080.98. This represents a 16.44% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 0.04% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Valero Energy Stock Performance

VLO opened at $240.26 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $71.85 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.45, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.24 and a beta of 0.70. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $203.25 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $180.64. The company has a quick ratio of 1.11, a current ratio of 1.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36. Valero Energy Corporation has a 12-month low of $99.00 and a 12-month high of $247.73.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The oil and gas company reported $3.82 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.27 by $0.55. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 12.35% and a net margin of 1.91%.The company had revenue of $30.37 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $28.20 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.64 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 1.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts forecast that Valero Energy Corporation will post 7.92 earnings per share for the current year.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 9th. Investors of record on Thursday, February 5th were paid a dividend of $1.20 per share. This represents a $4.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.0%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 5th. This is an increase from Valero Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.13. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 62.83%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on VLO shares. Bank of America reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $195.00 price objective (down from $198.00) on shares of Valero Energy in a research note on Thursday, December 11th. Piper Sandler increased their price target on Valero Energy from $217.00 to $220.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, January 30th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $203.00 to $237.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 12th. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Valero Energy in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Finally, Zacks Research downgraded shares of Valero Energy from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating and ten have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Valero Energy presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $193.20.

About Valero Energy

Valero Energy Corporation is a San Antonio, Texas–based integrated downstream energy company that manufactures and markets transportation fuels, petrochemical feedstocks and other industrial products. The company’s operations focus on refining crude oil into finished fuels such as gasoline, diesel and jet fuel, as well as producing asphalt and other refined product streams for commercial and industrial customers.

In addition to refining, Valero has significant operations in renewable fuels, including the production of ethanol and other biofuels, and it manages an extensive logistics network of pipelines, terminals, rail and marine assets to move feedstocks and finished products.