Foster & Motley Inc. Increases Stock Position in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Foster & Motley Inc. lifted its position in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO - Free Report) by 23.3% in the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 20,802 shares of the oil and gas company's stock after purchasing an additional 3,934 shares during the quarter. Foster & Motley Inc.'s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $2,809,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of VLO. EdgeRock Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of Valero Energy during the 2nd quarter worth $27,000. Lynx Investment Advisory bought a new position in shares of Valero Energy during the second quarter worth about $29,000. Summit Securities Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Valero Energy during the 2nd quarter worth about $31,000. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC bought a new stake in Valero Energy during the first quarter worth approximately $33,000. Finally, Compagnie Lombard Odier SCmA acquired a new stake in Valero Energy during the 3rd quarter worth about $34,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.69% of the company's stock.

Valero Energy Price Performance

VLO stock traded down $2.99 during trading on Thursday, reaching $135.72. 1,042,722 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,969,067. 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 $43.48 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.44, a PEG ratio of 2.32 and a beta of 1.39. Valero Energy Co. has a 52-week low of $119.88 and a 52-week high of $184.79. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $136.20 and its 200 day moving average price is $147.77.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The oil and gas company reported $1.14 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.98 by $0.16. Valero Energy had a net margin of 2.74% and a return on equity of 13.07%. The business 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 posted $7.49 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was down 14.4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts predict that Valero Energy Co. will post 9.32 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 20th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, November 20th will be paid a $1.07 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, November 20th. This represents a $4.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.15%. Valero Energy's payout ratio is presently 38.39%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

VLO has been the subject of several research reports. Barclays reduced their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $165.00 to $146.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, October 2nd. TD Cowen lowered their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $145.00 to $140.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Friday, October 25th. BMO Capital Markets decreased their target price on Valero Energy from $175.00 to $165.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, October 4th. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded shares of Valero Energy from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and reduced their target price for the stock from $172.00 to $165.00 in a report on Wednesday, October 9th. Finally, Scotiabank decreased their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $173.00 to $141.00 and set a "sector outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, October 10th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued 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 has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $156.29.

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.