CWA Asset Management Group LLC Invests $939,000 in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

CWA Asset Management Group LLC bought a new position in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO - Free Report) during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 6,958 shares of the oil and gas company's stock, valued at approximately $939,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in VLO. International Assets Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in Valero Energy by 11,318.9% during the 3rd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 1,076,349 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $145,339,000 after acquiring an additional 1,066,923 shares during the last quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Valero Energy by 37.6% in the first quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 1,558,750 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $266,040,000 after acquiring an additional 426,093 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its stake in Valero Energy by 5.8% during the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 4,319,436 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $677,007,000 after acquiring an additional 237,347 shares in the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC raised its stake in Valero Energy by 17.6% during the second quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 1,550,010 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $238,841,000 after acquiring an additional 232,494 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Westwood Holdings Group Inc. acquired a new position in Valero Energy during the first quarter worth about $39,517,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.69% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have weighed in on VLO shares. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $149.00 to $131.00 and set a "sell" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, September 16th. Piper Sandler lowered Valero Energy from an "overweight" rating to a "neutral" rating and decreased their target price for the company from $169.00 to $123.00 in a research report on Friday, September 20th. Mizuho decreased their target price on Valero Energy from $175.00 to $171.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, September 16th. Wells Fargo & Company raised Valero Energy from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and decreased their target price for the company from $172.00 to $165.00 in a research report on Wednesday, October 9th. Finally, Bank of America assumed coverage on Valero Energy in a report on Thursday, October 17th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $150.00 price objective for the company. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Valero Energy currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $155.86.

Valero Energy Price Performance

VLO stock traded up $0.38 on Monday, hitting $137.07. 977,020 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,959,465. Valero Energy Co. has a 1-year low of $120.21 and a 1-year high of $184.79. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $135.89 and a 200-day moving average of $147.21. 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 stock has a market cap of $43.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.25, a P/E/G ratio of 2.47 and a beta of 1.39.

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 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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 during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $31.04 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $7.49 EPS. The business's revenue was down 14.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts forecast that Valero Energy Co. will post 9.21 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 20th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, November 20th will be given a $1.07 dividend. This represents a $4.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.12%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, November 20th. Valero Energy's dividend payout ratio is presently 38.39%.

Valero Energy 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.