43,844 Shares in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) Purchased by Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd.

Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. bought a new position in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) during the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor bought 43,844 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,920,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of VLO. EdgeRock Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of Valero Energy in the second quarter worth approximately $27,000. Peterson Financial Group Inc. purchased a new position in Valero Energy in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $28,000. Lynx Investment Advisory bought a new position in shares of Valero Energy in the 2nd quarter worth $29,000. Summit Securities Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Valero Energy during the 2nd quarter valued at $31,000. Finally, Pathway Financial Advisers LLC bought a new stake in shares of Valero Energy during the 1st quarter worth $33,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Valero Energy Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:VLO opened at $140.87 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.57, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. The company has a market cap of $44.60 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.63, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 1.39. Valero Energy Co. has a 12 month low of $120.21 and a 12 month high of $184.79. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $136.59 and a 200-day moving average price of $145.97.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The oil and gas company reported $1.14 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.98 by $0.16. The business had revenue of $32.88 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $31.04 billion. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 13.07% and a net margin of 2.74%. Valero Energy’s quarterly revenue was down 14.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $7.49 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Valero Energy Co. will post 8.92 EPS for the current year.

Valero Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 20th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, November 20th will be given a dividend of $1.07 per share. This represents a $4.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.04%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, November 20th. Valero Energy’s payout ratio is currently 38.39%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently commented on VLO shares. TD Cowen reduced their target price on Valero Energy from $145.00 to $140.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Citigroup reduced their price objective on Valero Energy from $192.00 to $176.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, October 25th. The Goldman Sachs Group dropped 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 price target on shares of Valero Energy from $175.00 to $165.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, October 4th. Finally, Mizuho lowered their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $175.00 to $171.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Monday, September 16th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $155.86.

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.