Virtu Financial LLC Makes New $3.25 Million Investment in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Virtu Financial LLC bought a new stake in shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO - Free Report) in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm bought 24,061 shares of the oil and gas company's stock, valued at approximately $3,249,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its stake in Valero Energy by 4,908.0% in the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 2,850,526 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $384,907,000 after acquiring an additional 2,793,607 shares during the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in Valero Energy by 11,318.9% in the third quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 1,076,349 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $145,339,000 after purchasing an additional 1,066,923 shares during the last quarter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund lifted its stake in Valero Energy by 900.2% in the third quarter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund now owns 631,095 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $85,217,000 after purchasing an additional 568,000 shares during the last quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in Valero Energy by 18.8% during the third quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 3,585,166 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $484,105,000 after purchasing an additional 567,059 shares during the period. Finally, Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Valero Energy during the 3rd quarter valued at $70,352,000. 78.69% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Valero Energy Price Performance

Shares of NYSE VLO traded down $3.54 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $129.75. 1,313,238 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,902,926. The business's fifty day moving average price is $136.82 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $143.74. The company has a market cap of $41.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.96, a PEG ratio of 2.48 and a beta of 1.39. The company has a current ratio of 1.57, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. Valero Energy Co. has a 12-month low of $120.34 and a 12-month high of $184.79.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The oil and gas company reported $1.14 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.98 by $0.16. Valero Energy had a net margin of 2.74% and a return on equity of 13.07%. The firm had revenue of $32.88 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $31.04 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $7.49 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was down 14.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts forecast that Valero Energy Co. will post 8.89 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 20th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, November 20th will be issued a $1.07 dividend. This represents a $4.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.30%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, November 20th. Valero Energy's payout ratio is currently 38.39%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on VLO shares. Citigroup lowered their price objective on Valero Energy from $192.00 to $176.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, October 25th. The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $149.00 to $131.00 and set a "sell" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, September 16th. BMO Capital Markets reduced their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $175.00 to $165.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, October 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on Valero Energy from $172.00 to $151.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, October 2nd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on Valero Energy from $165.00 to $160.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Monday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $155.50.

About Valero Energy

Valero Energy Corporation manufactures, markets, and sells petroleum-based and low-carbon liquid transportation fuels and petrochemical products in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Latin America, Mexico, Peru, and internationally. It operates through three segments: Refining, Renewable Diesel, and Ethanol.