GoalVest Advisory LLC Purchases 504 Shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

GoalVest Advisory LLC raised its position in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 7.7% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 7,024 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after buying an additional 504 shares during the quarter. GoalVest Advisory LLC’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $948,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. EdgeRock Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of Valero Energy in the second quarter valued at $27,000. Lynx Investment Advisory purchased a new position in shares of Valero Energy in the second quarter valued at $29,000. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC purchased a new position in shares of Valero Energy in the first quarter valued at $33,000. Summit Securities Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Valero Energy in the second quarter valued at $31,000. Finally, First Foundation Advisors purchased a new position in shares of Valero Energy in the first quarter valued at $37,000. 78.69% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Valero Energy Trading Up 0.1 %

Shares of VLO stock opened at $140.16 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.11, a current ratio of 1.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $135.83 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $146.42. Valero Energy Co. has a 12-month low of $120.21 and a 12-month high of $184.79. The firm has a market cap of $44.37 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.57, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.57 and a beta of 1.39.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last released its earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The oil and gas company reported $1.14 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.98 by $0.16. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 13.07% and a net margin of 2.74%. The company had revenue of $32.88 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $31.04 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $7.49 EPS. Valero Energy’s revenue for the quarter was down 14.4% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts anticipate that Valero Energy Co. will post 9.1 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 20th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, November 20th will be paid a $1.07 dividend. This represents a $4.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.05%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, November 20th. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 38.39%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

VLO has been the subject of several recent research reports. Mizuho reduced their price target on Valero Energy from $175.00 to $171.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, September 16th. Barclays reduced their target price on Valero Energy from $146.00 to $140.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, November 11th. The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their target price on Valero Energy from $149.00 to $131.00 and set a “sell” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, September 16th. BMO Capital Markets reduced their target price on Valero Energy from $175.00 to $165.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, October 4th. Finally, Bank of America initiated coverage on Valero Energy in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $150.00 target price for the company. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Valero Energy has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $155.86.

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.