8,163 Shares in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) Acquired by FORA Capital LLC

FORA Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO - Free Report) in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund acquired 8,163 shares of the oil and gas company's stock, valued at approximately $1,102,000.

Other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. International Private Wealth Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Valero Energy by 3.4% in the 2nd quarter. International Private Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,970 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $309,000 after acquiring an additional 65 shares during the last quarter. OmniStar Financial Group Inc. raised its holdings in Valero Energy by 1.6% in the 2nd quarter. OmniStar Financial Group Inc. now owns 4,543 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $712,000 after acquiring an additional 70 shares during the last quarter. Everhart Financial Group Inc. raised its holdings in Valero Energy by 5.5% in the 2nd quarter. Everhart Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,366 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $214,000 after acquiring an additional 71 shares during the last quarter. St. Johns Investment Management Company LLC raised its holdings in Valero Energy by 1.4% in the 2nd quarter. St. Johns Investment Management Company LLC now owns 5,068 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $794,000 after acquiring an additional 72 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Magnus Financial Group LLC raised its holdings in Valero Energy by 4.3% in the 2nd quarter. Magnus Financial Group LLC now owns 1,752 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $275,000 after acquiring an additional 73 shares during the last quarter. 78.69% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Valero Energy Stock Down 0.9 %

Shares of Valero Energy stock opened at $138.55 on Thursday. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $136.83 and a 200 day moving average price of $145.51. 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 twelve month low of $120.21 and a twelve month high of $184.79. The stock has a market cap of $43.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.43, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.61 and a beta of 1.39.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 24th. The oil and gas company reported $1.14 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.98 by $0.16. The company had revenue of $32.88 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $31.04 billion. Valero Energy had a net margin of 2.74% and a return on equity of 13.07%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was down 14.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $7.49 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Valero Energy Co. will post 8.92 earnings per share 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. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, November 20th will be given a $1.07 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, November 20th. This represents a $4.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.09%. Valero Energy's payout ratio is currently 38.39%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

VLO has been the subject of several analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on Valero Energy from $172.00 to $151.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, October 2nd. Citigroup cut their price target on Valero Energy from $192.00 to $176.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Friday, October 25th. Barclays dropped their price objective on Valero Energy from $146.00 to $140.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Monday, November 11th. BMO Capital Markets dropped their price objective on Valero Energy from $175.00 to $165.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Friday, October 4th. Finally, Bank of America assumed coverage on Valero Energy in a report on Thursday, October 17th. They set a "neutral" rating and a $150.00 price objective for the company. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $155.86.

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.

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