Stifel Financial Corp Increases Holdings in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Stifel Financial Corp increased its position in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO - Free Report) by 1.7% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 647,754 shares of the oil and gas company's stock after purchasing an additional 10,899 shares during the period. Stifel Financial Corp owned 0.20% of Valero Energy worth $87,467,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in VLO. EdgeRock Capital LLC bought a new stake in Valero Energy in the second quarter worth $27,000. Peterson Financial Group Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Valero Energy in the 3rd quarter worth about $28,000. Summit Securities Group LLC bought a new position in Valero Energy in the 2nd quarter worth about $31,000. Compagnie Lombard Odier SCmA purchased a new stake in Valero Energy during the 3rd quarter valued at about $34,000. Finally, True Wealth Design LLC increased its stake in Valero Energy by 196.8% during the 3rd quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 276 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $37,000 after purchasing an additional 183 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 78.69% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on VLO shares. BMO Capital Markets dropped their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $175.00 to $165.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, October 4th. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their price objective on Valero Energy from $149.00 to $131.00 and set a "sell" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, September 16th. Citigroup reduced their target price on Valero Energy from $192.00 to $176.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Friday, October 25th. TD Cowen lowered their price target on Valero Energy from $145.00 to $140.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, October 25th. Finally, Barclays dropped their price objective on Valero Energy from $146.00 to $140.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, November 11th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Valero Energy currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $155.86.

Valero Energy Stock Performance

VLO traded down $1.55 during trading on Friday, hitting $131.50. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,984,240 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,914,111. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $137.07 and its 200-day simple moving average is $144.70. The firm has a market cap of $41.63 billion, a PE ratio of 11.79, a P/E/G ratio of 2.50 and a beta of 1.39. Valero Energy Co. has a one year low of $120.21 and a one year high of $184.79. 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 analysts' consensus estimates of $0.98 by $0.16. The company had revenue of $32.88 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations 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 period last year, the firm earned $7.49 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Valero Energy Co. will post 8.92 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed 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. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, November 20th. This represents a $4.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.25%. Valero Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 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.