Stonegate Investment Group LLC Acquires Shares of 4,538 Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO)

Stonegate Investment Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO) in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund acquired 4,538 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock, valued at approximately $599,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the business. PFG Investments LLC lifted its stake in Valero Energy by 1.4% during the 1st quarter. PFG Investments LLC now owns 12,403 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $1,638,000 after acquiring an additional 166 shares during the period. Segment Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in Valero Energy by 3.1% during the 1st quarter. Segment Wealth Management LLC now owns 5,102 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $674,000 after acquiring an additional 155 shares during the period. Good Steward Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Valero Energy during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $299,000. Advisory Resource Group lifted its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 438.5% in the 1st quarter. Advisory Resource Group now owns 48,341 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $6,384,000 after purchasing an additional 39,364 shares during the period. Finally, State of Alaska Department of Revenue lifted its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 2.8% in the 1st quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue now owns 37,099 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $4,899,000 after purchasing an additional 1,005 shares during the period. 78.69% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

VLO has been the subject of several analyst reports. UBS Group decreased their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $160.00 to $150.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 28th. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $160.00 to $145.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. Evercore ISI initiated coverage on shares of Valero Energy in a research note on Wednesday. They issued an “in-line” rating and a $135.00 target price for the company. Scotiabank decreased their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $156.00 to $136.00 and set a “sector outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, April 11th. Finally, TD Cowen decreased their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $121.00 to $118.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Valero Energy has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $150.88.

Valero Energy Stock Performance

NYSE:VLO opened at $141.16 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a quick ratio of 1.09 and a current ratio of 1.56. The company has a fifty day moving average of $125.11 and a two-hundred day moving average of $127.56. The stock has a market capitalization of $44.21 billion, a PE ratio of 49.88, a P/E/G ratio of 2.46 and a beta of 0.99. Valero Energy Corporation 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 (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.16 by ($0.27). Valero Energy had a return on equity of 6.30% and a net margin of 0.72%. The business had revenue of $28.76 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $28.54 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $3.82 EPS. Valero Energy’s quarterly revenue was down 4.7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts forecast that Valero Energy Corporation will post 7.92 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, June 18th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, May 20th were issued a dividend of $1.13 per share. This represents a $4.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.20%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, May 20th. Valero Energy’s payout ratio is 159.72%.

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.