Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC Buys 3,292 Shares of Valero Energy Corporation $VLO

Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO) by 6.7% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 52,487 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after buying an additional 3,292 shares during the period. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $8,940,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Avantax Planning Partners Inc. raised its position in Valero Energy by 1.0% in the third quarter. Avantax Planning Partners Inc. now owns 45,916 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $7,818,000 after purchasing an additional 476 shares during the last quarter. EWA LLC acquired a new stake in Valero Energy in the third quarter valued at $231,000. Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI grew its position in shares of Valero Energy by 16.8% in the 3rd quarter. Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI now owns 12,201 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $2,078,000 after buying an additional 1,751 shares during the last quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. raised its position in shares of Valero Energy by 2.6% during the third quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. now owns 87,983 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $14,112,000 after acquiring an additional 2,213 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Whittier Trust Co. raised its holdings in Valero Energy by 2.5% during the 3rd quarter. Whittier Trust Co. now owns 206,410 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $33,108,000 after purchasing an additional 5,009 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $181.00 to $194.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, October 10th. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Valero Energy in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Bank of America reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $195.00 target price (down from $198.00) on shares of Valero Energy in a report on Thursday, December 11th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on Valero Energy from $216.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, November 10th. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Valero Energy from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, January 3rd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $183.00.

Valero Energy Trading Down 2.0%

NYSE VLO opened at $183.42 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.09, a current ratio of 1.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36. Valero Energy Corporation has a 52 week low of $99.00 and a 52 week high of $194.35. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $174.82 and a 200-day moving average price of $162.90. The company has a market cap of $55.94 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.29, a P/E/G ratio of 1.09 and a beta of 0.77.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 9th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, February 5th will be issued a dividend of $1.20 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, February 5th. This is a positive change from Valero Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.13. This represents a $4.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.6%. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 94.36%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Valero Energy

In other news, CFO Jason W. Fraser sold 9,933 shares of Valero Energy stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $174.02, for a total transaction of $1,728,540.66. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 134,196 shares in the company, valued at $23,352,787.92. This trade represents a 6.89% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.37% of the company’s stock.

Valero Energy Company 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.