Valero Energy Corporation $VLO Stock Holdings Lifted by Mirabella Financial Services LLP

Mirabella Financial Services LLP increased its position in Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO) by 139.9% during the third quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 18,701 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after acquiring an additional 10,905 shares during the period. Mirabella Financial Services LLP’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $3,178,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 2.5% in the second quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 11,724,707 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $1,576,035,000 after purchasing an additional 286,942 shares during the period. Norges Bank bought a new position in Valero Energy in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $827,390,000. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 5.0% during the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 5,273,517 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $897,869,000 after buying an additional 249,195 shares during the last quarter. Barclays PLC lifted its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 5.3% during the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 4,143,672 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $705,502,000 after buying an additional 209,597 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Amundi boosted its position in shares of Valero Energy by 3.3% in the second quarter. Amundi now owns 2,381,316 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $331,415,000 after acquiring an additional 77,070 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Valero Energy Stock Up 0.9%

VLO opened at $232.73 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $69.59 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.46, a P/E/G ratio of 1.18 and a beta of 0.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a current ratio of 1.64 and a quick ratio of 1.11. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $198.88 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $178.59. Valero Energy Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $99.00 and a fifty-two week high of $240.27.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 29th. The oil and gas company reported $3.82 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.27 by $0.55. The company had revenue of $30.37 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $28.20 billion. Valero Energy had a net margin of 1.91% and a return on equity of 12.35%. The business’s revenue was down 1.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.64 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that Valero Energy Corporation will post 7.92 EPS for the current year.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 9th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, February 5th were issued a dividend of $1.20 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 5th. This is a positive change from Valero Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.13. This represents a $4.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.1%. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 62.83%.

Insider Activity

In related news, SVP Eric A. Fisher sold 8,311 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $227.69, for a total transaction of $1,892,331.59. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 42,242 shares in the company, valued at $9,618,080.98. This trade represents a 16.44% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.04% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on VLO shares. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, February 7th. Barclays raised their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $169.00 to $184.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, November 17th. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $175.00 to $180.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 27th. Argus upgraded shares of Valero Energy to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Finally, Mizuho reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $192.00 target price (up from $190.00) on shares of Valero Energy in a research report on Friday, December 12th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating and ten have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $193.20.

Valero Energy Profile

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.