Valero Energy Corporation $VLO Shares Acquired by Evolve Private Wealth LLC

Evolve Private Wealth LLC lifted its stake in Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO) by 419.3% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 23,606 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after buying an additional 19,060 shares during the quarter. Evolve Private Wealth LLC’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $5,833,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. JPL Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Valero Energy in the third quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Torren Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Valero Energy during the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. AXS Investments LLC purchased a new position in shares of Valero Energy during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $32,000. University of Texas Texas AM Investment Management Co. increased its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 157.0% during the 4th quarter. University of Texas Texas AM Investment Management Co. now owns 203 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 124 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC lifted its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 32.9% in the 4th quarter. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC now owns 206 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 51 shares during the period. 78.69% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, SVP Eric A. Fisher sold 7,500 shares of Valero Energy stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $236.90, for a total transaction of $1,776,750.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 27,242 shares in the company, valued at $6,453,629.80. The trade was a 21.59% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.36% of the company’s stock.

Valero Energy Price Performance

Valero Energy stock opened at $236.50 on Monday. The stock has a market capitalization of $70.22 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.19, a P/E/G ratio of 0.34 and a beta of 0.55. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $245.11 and its 200 day moving average price is $215.10. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a current ratio of 1.58. Valero Energy Corporation has a 1 year low of $130.78 and a 1 year high of $265.61.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The oil and gas company reported $4.22 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.16 by $1.06. Valero Energy had a net margin of 3.37% and a return on equity of 15.94%. The firm had revenue of $32.38 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $31.38 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.89 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Valero Energy Corporation will post 27.45 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 23rd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 21st will be paid a dividend of $1.20 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 21st. This represents a $4.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.0%. Valero Energy’s payout ratio is 34.88%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Zacks Research raised shares of Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. Barclays upped their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $184.00 to $261.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 8th. UBS Group reissued a “buy” rating and set a $280.00 target price on shares of Valero Energy in a research note on Thursday, June 11th. TD Cowen raised their target price on Valero Energy from $255.00 to $276.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, May 4th. Finally, Citigroup lifted their price target on Valero Energy from $246.00 to $259.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $245.59.

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.