Lighthouse Investment Partners LLC Purchases 13,881 Shares of Valero Energy Corporation $VLO

Lighthouse Investment Partners LLC increased its position in Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO) by 21.0% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 80,005 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after purchasing an additional 13,881 shares during the period. Lighthouse Investment Partners LLC’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $13,622,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of VLO. Highline Wealth Partners LLC increased its stake in Valero Energy by 70.2% during the 3rd quarter. Highline Wealth Partners LLC now owns 160 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 66 shares in the last quarter. JPL Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Valero Energy in the third quarter valued at $27,000. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates acquired a new stake in shares of Valero Energy in the 3rd quarter worth about $34,000. Cypress Capital Management LLC WY bought a new position in Valero Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at about $34,000. Finally, Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. lifted its position in Valero Energy by 145.3% in the 3rd quarter. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 211 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $36,000 after acquiring an additional 125 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Valero Energy

In related news, SVP Eric A. Fisher sold 400 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $238.60, for a total transaction of $95,440.00. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.37% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

VLO has been the subject of several analyst reports. Argus raised Valero Energy to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. UBS Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Valero Energy in a research report on Tuesday, January 6th. Piper Sandler upped their price target on Valero Energy from $217.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, January 30th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Valero Energy in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $197.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, January 8th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating and ten have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $193.20.

Valero Energy Stock Down 2.2%

VLO opened at $230.57 on Monday. Valero Energy Corporation has a 12 month low of $99.00 and a 12 month high of $240.27. The company has a market cap of $68.95 billion, a PE ratio of 30.18, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.18 and a beta of 0.70. The company has a current ratio of 1.64, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36. The company has a 50 day moving average of $197.83 and a 200 day moving average of $178.02.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last issued its earnings results 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 business had revenue of $30.37 billion for 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 for the quarter was down 1.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.64 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts expect 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. Investors of record on Thursday, February 5th were paid a dividend of $1.20 per share. This represents a $4.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 5th. This is a positive change from Valero Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.13. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 62.83%.

About Valero Energy

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.