Tounjian Advisory Partners LLC Makes New $1.30 Million Investment in Valero Energy Corporation $VLO

Tounjian Advisory Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO) during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 7,644 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,302,000.

A number of other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Waddell & Associates LLC boosted its stake in Valero Energy by 2.8% in the 3rd quarter. Waddell & Associates LLC now owns 2,040 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $347,000 after buying an additional 56 shares during the last quarter. DSG Capital Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 1.6% during the 3rd quarter. DSG Capital Advisors LLC now owns 3,803 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $647,000 after acquiring an additional 60 shares during the period. Cypress Capital Group boosted its position in shares of Valero Energy by 0.3% in the third quarter. Cypress Capital Group now owns 18,786 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $3,199,000 after acquiring an additional 63 shares during the last quarter. Private Trust Co. NA grew its holdings in Valero Energy by 2.0% in the third quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 3,381 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $576,000 after purchasing an additional 65 shares during the period. Finally, Highline Wealth Partners LLC increased its position in Valero Energy by 70.2% during the third quarter. Highline Wealth Partners LLC now owns 160 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 66 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Valero Energy Trading Up 0.3%

NYSE:VLO opened at $204.49 on Friday. Valero Energy Corporation has a 52 week low of $99.00 and a 52 week high of $206.77. The company has a quick ratio of 1.09, a current ratio of 1.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36. The company has a market cap of $62.37 billion, a PE ratio of 26.77, a P/E/G ratio of 1.06 and a beta of 0.77. The business’s 50 day moving average is $185.80 and its two-hundred day moving average is $171.70.

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, topping the consensus estimate of $3.27 by $0.55. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 12.34% and a net margin of 1.91%.During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.64 EPS. Valero Energy’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts predict that Valero Energy Corporation will post 7.92 EPS for the current year.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 9th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, February 5th will be given a dividend of $1.20 per share. This represents a $4.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, February 5th. This is a positive change from Valero Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.13. Valero Energy’s payout ratio is currently 62.83%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on VLO. Morgan Stanley boosted 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 note on Tuesday, January 27th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $197.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, February 7th. Citigroup lifted their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $190.00 to $212.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, February 9th. Finally, Zacks Research cut shares of Valero Energy from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 20th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating and ten have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $187.67.

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.