24,548 Shares in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) Purchased by Prospera Private Wealth LLC

Prospera Private Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO - Free Report) during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor purchased 24,548 shares of the oil and gas company's stock, valued at approximately $3,315,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. EdgeRock Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Valero Energy during the second quarter valued at about $27,000. Lynx Investment Advisory acquired a new stake in Valero Energy in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC purchased a new stake in Valero Energy in the first quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Summit Securities Group LLC acquired a new position in Valero Energy during the second quarter worth $31,000. Finally, Peterson Financial Group Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Valero Energy during the third quarter worth $28,000. 78.69% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently issued reports on VLO. TD Cowen lowered their target price on Valero Energy from $145.00 to $140.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Friday, October 25th. Piper Sandler lowered shares of Valero Energy from an "overweight" rating to a "neutral" rating and lowered their price objective for the company from $169.00 to $123.00 in a research note on Friday, September 20th. BMO Capital Markets cut their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $175.00 to $165.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, October 4th. Barclays decreased their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $146.00 to $140.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, November 11th. Finally, Citigroup cut their price objective on Valero Energy from $192.00 to $176.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, October 25th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned 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, Valero Energy presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $155.86.

Valero Energy Stock Down 1.0 %

Shares of NYSE VLO traded down $1.42 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $140.59. The company had a trading volume of 916,762 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,936,022. Valero Energy Co. has a 52-week low of $120.21 and a 52-week high of $184.79. The stock has a market cap of $44.51 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.74, a PEG ratio of 2.69 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. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $136.15 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $146.15.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO - Get Free Report) last posted its 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. The business had revenue of $32.88 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $31.04 billion. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 13.07% and a net margin of 2.74%. The business's revenue was down 14.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $7.49 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts predict that Valero Energy Co. will post 8.92 earnings per share for the current year.

Valero Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 20th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, November 20th will be given a dividend of $1.07 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, November 20th. This represents a $4.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.04%. Valero Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 38.39%.

Valero Energy Company Profile

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.