Machina Capital S.A.S. Makes New Investment in Valero Energy Corporation $VLO

Machina Capital S.A.S. acquired a new position in shares of Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO) during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 9,431 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,656,000.

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. DSG Capital Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Valero Energy by 4.4% during the third quarter. DSG Capital Advisors LLC now owns 8,599 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $3,333,000 after purchasing an additional 364 shares during the period. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund grew its position in shares of Valero Energy by 3.2% in the 3rd quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund now owns 108,547 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $42,074,000 after purchasing an additional 3,352 shares during the period. Northbridge Financial Group LLC grew its position in shares of Valero Energy by 26.9% in the 3rd quarter. Northbridge Financial Group LLC now owns 1,232 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $516,000 after purchasing an additional 261 shares during the period. Confluence Wealth Services Inc. grew its position in shares of Valero Energy by 35.1% in the 3rd quarter. Confluence Wealth Services Inc. now owns 12,923 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $5,009,000 after purchasing an additional 3,359 shares during the period. Finally, Moneco Advisors LLC increased its stake in Valero Energy by 10.4% during the 3rd quarter. Moneco Advisors LLC now owns 1,100 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $426,000 after purchasing an additional 104 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Valero Energy Price Performance

NYSE:VLO opened at $364.23 on Thursday. Valero Energy Corporation has a 1-year low of $159.90 and a 1-year high of $461.52. The company has a current ratio of 1.72, a quick ratio of 1.33 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $399.54 and a 200 day simple moving average of $292.16. The stock has a market capitalization of $101.58 billion, a PE ratio of 8.19, a P/E/G ratio of 0.18 and a beta of 0.58.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, October 22nd. The oil and gas company reported $23.90 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $21.17 by $2.73. Valero Energy had a net margin of 8.44% and a return on equity of 45.90%. The business had revenue of $46.10 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $42.71 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $3.66 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 43.3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts expect that Valero Energy Corporation will post 58.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Announces Dividend

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 1.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, November 24th. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 10.80%.

Recent Valero Energy Headlines

Investors following VLO have been watching these headlines:

• Positive Sentiment: The board affirmed Valero’s regular $1.20-per-share quarterly dividend, payable December 21 to shareholders of record November 24. The article also points to discounted heavy crude, favorable freight rates, and renewable-fuels operations as potential business supports. Article: How Investors May Respond to Valero Energy Dividend Affirmation
• Neutral Sentiment: A MarketWatch report said VLO underperformed competitors on Tuesday, a relative-performance note that may weigh on sentiment but does not identify a new company-specific development. Article: Valero Energy Stock Underperforms Tuesday Compared with Competitors
• Negative Sentiment: Jim Cramer advised investors to sell, arguing that Valero’s refining-cycle rally may be over and that margins could normalize further. This is a caution about the cycle and profit-taking, rather than a reported change in Valero’s operations. Article: Cramer Recommends Selling Valero Energy Stock

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

VLO has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Piper Sandler raised their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $329.00 to $435.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, September 3rd. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Valero Energy from a “buy (b+)” rating to a “buy (a-)” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 29th. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $411.00 to $420.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, November 2nd. Evercore lowered their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $385.00 to $325.00 in a research report on Wednesday, October 28th. Finally, Bank of America raised their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $395.00 to $414.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, October 2nd. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $406.32.

About Valero Energy

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.