Cerity Partners LLC Acquires 28,441 Shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Cerity Partners LLC boosted its position in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO - Free Report) by 34.6% in the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 110,660 shares of the oil and gas company's stock after purchasing an additional 28,441 shares during the period. Cerity Partners LLC's holdings in Valero Energy were worth $14,942,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. International Private Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Valero Energy by 3.4% during the second quarter. International Private Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,970 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $309,000 after acquiring an additional 65 shares during the period. OmniStar Financial Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of 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 worth $712,000 after buying an additional 70 shares during the last quarter. Everhart Financial Group Inc. grew its position in Valero Energy by 5.5% during the second quarter. Everhart Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,366 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $214,000 after buying an additional 71 shares during the period. St. Johns Investment Management Company LLC boosted its stake in Valero Energy by 1.4% in the second 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 stake in shares of Valero Energy by 4.3% in the second quarter. Magnus Financial Group LLC now owns 1,752 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $275,000 after buying an additional 73 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.69% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on VLO. The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their price target on Valero Energy from $149.00 to $131.00 and set a "sell" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, September 16th. Barclays lowered their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $146.00 to $140.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, November 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $172.00 to $151.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, October 2nd. Bank of America assumed coverage on Valero Energy in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. They set a "neutral" rating and a $150.00 target price for the company. Finally, TD Cowen dropped their price target on Valero Energy from $145.00 to $140.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, October 25th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $155.86.

Valero Energy Stock Down 0.3 %

Shares of NYSE VLO traded down $0.37 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $139.45. 949,679 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,932,733. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $136.71 and a 200-day moving average price of $145.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a current ratio of 1.57. The company has a market cap of $44.15 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.54, a PEG ratio of 2.63 and a beta of 1.39. Valero Energy Co. has a 52 week low of $120.21 and a 52 week high of $184.79.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 24th. The oil and gas company reported $1.14 earnings per share 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 company had revenue of $32.88 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $31.04 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $7.49 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was down 14.4% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts anticipate that Valero Energy Co. will post 8.92 EPS for the current year.

Valero Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 20th. Investors of record on Wednesday, November 20th will be given a dividend of $1.07 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, November 20th. This represents a $4.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.07%. 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.