Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. Acquires 32,117 Shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. raised its position in shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO - Free Report) by 25.0% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 160,603 shares of the oil and gas company's stock after acquiring an additional 32,117 shares during the quarter. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. owned approximately 0.05% of Valero Energy worth $21,686,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. EdgeRock Capital LLC bought a new position in Valero Energy in the second quarter worth $27,000. Lynx Investment Advisory purchased a new position in Valero Energy during the 2nd quarter valued at about $29,000. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC purchased a new stake in Valero Energy in the first quarter worth about $33,000. Summit Securities Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Valero Energy during the second quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Finally, First Foundation Advisors purchased a new position in shares of Valero Energy during the first quarter valued at approximately $37,000. Institutional investors own 78.69% of the company's stock.

Valero Energy Stock Performance

Shares of Valero Energy stock traded up $0.58 on Friday, hitting $136.69. 1,702,919 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,511,640. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $43.27 billion, a PE ratio of 12.26, a PEG ratio of 2.47 and a beta of 1.39. Valero Energy Co. has a 1 year low of $119.88 and a 1 year high of $184.79. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $135.89 and a 200-day simple moving average of $147.34.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The oil and gas company reported $1.14 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.98 by $0.16. The company had revenue of $32.88 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $31.04 billion. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 13.07% and a net margin of 2.74%. Valero Energy's quarterly revenue was down 14.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $7.49 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Valero Energy Co. will post 9.21 EPS for the current year.

Valero Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 20th. Investors of record on Wednesday, November 20th will be issued a $1.07 dividend. This represents a $4.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.13%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, November 20th. Valero Energy's dividend payout ratio is 38.39%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

VLO has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. BMO Capital Markets reduced their price objective on Valero Energy from $175.00 to $165.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, October 4th. Mizuho dropped their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $175.00 to $171.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, September 16th. Scotiabank reduced their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $173.00 to $141.00 and set a "sector outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, October 10th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Valero Energy from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 17th. Finally, Barclays reduced their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $165.00 to $146.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, October 2nd. 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 issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $156.29.

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.