Valero Energy Corporation $VLO Stock: Kestra Advisory Services LLC Boosts Position

Kestra Advisory Services LLC increased its stake in shares of Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO) by 10.6% in the third quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 41,923 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after buying an additional 4,016 shares during the quarter. Kestra Advisory Services LLC’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $16,250,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Whipplewood Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Valero Energy by 3,400.0% during the 1st quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC now owns 105 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 102 shares during the period. Cornerstone Financial Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 57.6% during the 2nd quarter. Cornerstone Financial Management LLC now owns 104 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares during the last quarter. Balance Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Valero Energy during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $32,000. Global Assets Advisory LLC bought a new stake in shares of Valero Energy in the 1st quarter worth approximately $33,000. Finally, Latitude Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Valero Energy in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $34,000. Institutional investors own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Valero Energy Stock Performance

Shares of VLO opened at $346.29 on Monday. Valero Energy Corporation has a 52-week low of $159.90 and a 52-week high of $461.52. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $399.61 and its 200 day simple moving average is $289.61. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 1.33 and a current ratio of 1.72. The stock has a market capitalization of $96.57 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.79, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.18 and a beta of 0.58.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, October 22nd. The oil and gas company reported $23.90 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $21.17 by $2.73. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 45.90% and a net margin of 8.44%. The business had revenue of $46.10 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $42.71 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $3.66 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 43.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts forecast that Valero Energy Corporation will post 57.83 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 21st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, November 24th will be given a $1.20 dividend. This represents a $4.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.4%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, November 24th. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 10.80%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently commented on the company. TD Cowen upped their price objective on Valero Energy from $375.00 to $400.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 22nd. Mizuho raised their target price on Valero Energy from $434.00 to $436.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, November 2nd. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their target price on Valero Energy from $401.00 to $394.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, October 8th. UBS Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $467.00 price target (up from $355.00) on shares of Valero Energy in a research report on Tuesday, October 6th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on Valero Energy from $457.00 to $496.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, October 9th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $406.32.

Valero Energy Company Profile

Valero Energy Corporation is an international refiner and producer of transportation fuels and other petroleum products, headquartered in San Antonio, Texas. Its refining business processes crude oil and other feedstocks into products such as gasoline, diesel, jet fuel, asphalt and petrochemical feedstocks.

The company markets and distributes fuels to wholesale customers and through branded distribution networks. Its refining operations span the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom, with products serving customers in North America and other markets.

Valero also produces renewable fuels, including ethanol and renewable diesel.