Entropy Technologies LP Makes New Investment in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Entropy Technologies LP acquired a new position in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO - Free Report) during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund acquired 7,030 shares of the oil and gas company's stock, valued at approximately $949,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. International Private Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 3.4% in 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 buying an additional 65 shares during the last quarter. OmniStar Financial Group Inc. raised its stake 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 valued at $712,000 after purchasing an additional 70 shares in the last quarter. Everhart Financial Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of 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 worth $214,000 after purchasing an additional 71 shares during the last quarter. St. Johns Investment Management Company LLC grew 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 worth $794,000 after purchasing an additional 72 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Magnus Financial Group LLC increased its holdings in 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 last quarter. 78.69% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

VLO has been the subject of several research reports. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded Valero Energy from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and decreased their target price for the stock from $172.00 to $165.00 in a research report on Wednesday, October 9th. Bank of America began coverage on shares of Valero Energy in a report on Thursday, October 17th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $150.00 price objective for the company. BMO Capital Markets reduced their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $175.00 to $165.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, October 4th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Valero Energy from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 17th. Finally, Wolfe Research started coverage on shares of Valero Energy in a report on Thursday, July 18th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $177.00 target price on the stock. One investment 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. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $155.86.

Valero Energy Price Performance

Valero Energy stock traded down $0.57 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $138.99. 1,031,405 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,945,596. Valero Energy Co. has a 1-year low of $120.21 and a 1-year high of $184.79. The firm has a market cap of $44.00 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.52, a P/E/G ratio of 2.51 and a beta of 1.39. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $135.62 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $146.75. The company has a quick ratio of 1.11, a current ratio of 1.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The oil and gas company reported $1.14 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.98 by $0.16. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 13.07% and a net margin of 2.74%. The firm had revenue of $32.88 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $31.04 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $7.49 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly revenue was down 14.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts forecast that Valero Energy Co. will post 9.1 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 20th. Investors of record on Wednesday, November 20th will be paid a dividend of $1.07 per share. This represents a $4.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.08%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, November 20th. Valero Energy's dividend payout ratio 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.