Arvest Investments Inc. Buys 383 Shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Arvest Investments Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 2.9% in the first quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 13,651 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after purchasing an additional 383 shares during the period. Arvest Investments Inc.’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $1,803,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Ameriflex Group Inc. bought a new position in Valero Energy during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $29,000. OFI Invest Asset Management bought a new position in Valero Energy during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $37,000. Golden State Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Valero Energy in the 4th quarter worth $38,000. Creative Capital Management Investments LLC increased its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 122.0% in the 4th quarter. Creative Capital Management Investments LLC now owns 333 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $41,000 after purchasing an additional 183 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Millstone Evans Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Valero Energy in the 4th quarter worth $44,000. Institutional investors own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have commented on VLO. UBS Group reduced their target price on Valero Energy from $160.00 to $150.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 28th. Scotiabank reduced their target price on Valero Energy from $156.00 to $136.00 and set a “sector outperform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, April 11th. Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on Valero Energy from $160.00 to $145.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 24th. Barclays lifted their target price on Valero Energy from $140.00 to $141.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, May 12th. Finally, Raymond James reduced their target price on Valero Energy from $165.00 to $155.00 and set a “strong-buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Valero Energy currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $151.93.

Valero Energy Price Performance

NYSE VLO opened at $134.02 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $41.97 billion, a PE ratio of 15.80, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 0.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a current ratio of 1.57. The business’s fifty day moving average is $121.14 and its 200 day moving average is $127.64. Valero Energy Co. has a fifty-two week low of $99.00 and a fifty-two week high of $167.78.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last released its earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The oil and gas company reported $0.89 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.16 by ($0.27). The company had revenue of $28.76 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $28.54 billion. Valero Energy had a net margin of 2.13% and a return on equity of 9.58%. Valero Energy’s revenue for the quarter was down 4.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $3.82 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts predict that Valero Energy Co. will post 7.92 earnings per share for the current year.

Valero Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 18th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, May 20th will be given a $1.13 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, May 20th. This represents a $4.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.37%. Valero Energy’s payout ratio is 159.72%.

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.