Xponance Inc. Boosts Stock Holdings in Valero Energy Corporation $VLO

Xponance Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO) by 8.9% during the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 74,763 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after buying an additional 6,124 shares during the quarter. Xponance Inc.’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $12,729,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Highline Wealth Partners LLC lifted its holdings 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 worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 66 shares in the last quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 1,277.8% in the second quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 248 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 230 shares in the last quarter. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates bought a new position in shares of Valero Energy in the third quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Cypress Capital Management LLC WY bought a new stake in Valero Energy during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $34,000. Finally, Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. lifted its stake 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 worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 125 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Valero Energy Stock Up 0.3%

Shares of VLO opened at $204.49 on Friday. Valero Energy Corporation has a 1 year low of $99.00 and a 1 year high of $206.77. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a current ratio of 1.60 and a quick ratio of 1.09. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $185.80 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $171.70. The firm has a market cap of $62.37 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.77, a P/E/G ratio of 1.06 and a beta of 0.77.

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 for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.27 by $0.55. Valero Energy had a net margin of 1.91% and a return on equity of 12.34%. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.64 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts forecast that Valero Energy Corporation will post 7.92 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 9th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, February 5th will be issued a $1.20 dividend. This is an increase from Valero Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.13. This represents a $4.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, February 5th. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 62.83%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

VLO has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $216.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, November 10th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, February 7th. Zacks Research cut shares of Valero Energy from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 20th. Barclays raised their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $169.00 to $184.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, November 17th. Finally, Bank of America reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $195.00 price target (down from $198.00) on shares of Valero Energy in a research note on Thursday, December 11th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating and ten have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on 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.