Huntington National Bank Acquires 12,462 Shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Huntington National Bank boosted its stake in shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO - Free Report) by 1.6% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 780,234 shares of the oil and gas company's stock after buying an additional 12,462 shares during the period. Valero Energy comprises 0.8% of Huntington National Bank's investment portfolio, making the stock its 29th largest holding. Huntington National Bank owned about 0.24% of Valero Energy worth $105,355,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in VLO. EdgeRock Capital LLC purchased a new position in Valero Energy in the second quarter valued at about $27,000. Lynx Investment Advisory bought a new stake in shares of Valero Energy in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Summit Securities Group LLC acquired a new position in Valero Energy in the second quarter worth approximately $31,000. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC bought a new position in Valero Energy during the first quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Finally, Compagnie Lombard Odier SCmA acquired a new stake in Valero Energy in the third quarter valued at approximately $34,000. 78.69% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. StockNews.com lowered shares of Valero Energy from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 17th. 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. Citigroup decreased their price target on Valero Energy from $192.00 to $176.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded 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, Barclays lowered their price target on Valero Energy from $146.00 to $140.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Monday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $155.86.

Valero Energy Stock Performance

Shares of VLO traded down $0.38 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $139.18. 1,150,523 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,946,135. Valero Energy Co. has a 1-year low of $120.21 and a 1-year high of $184.79. 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 cap of $44.06 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.52, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.51 and a beta of 1.39. The stock's fifty day moving average is $135.62 and its 200 day moving average is $146.75.

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 the consensus estimate of $0.98 by $0.16. The company had revenue of $32.88 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $31.04 billion. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 13.07% and a net margin of 2.74%. Valero Energy's revenue for the quarter was down 14.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $7.49 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate 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 $1.07 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, November 20th. This represents a $4.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.08%. Valero Energy's payout ratio is currently 38.39%.

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.