HighTower Advisors LLC Grows Position in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

HighTower Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 16.7% in the first quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 175,601 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after buying an additional 25,153 shares during the quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $24,546,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Live Oak Investment Partners purchased a new stake in Valero Energy in the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Stone House Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in Valero Energy in the 1st quarter valued at $27,000. Sageworth Trust Co increased its position in shares of Valero Energy by 716.7% during the 1st quarter. Sageworth Trust Co now owns 196 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 172 shares during the last quarter. Prostatis Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Valero Energy during the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. Finally, McIlrath & Eck LLC increased its position in shares of Valero Energy by 217.6% during the 1st quarter. McIlrath & Eck LLC now owns 216 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 148 shares during the last quarter. 77.07% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Valero Energy Stock Performance

Shares of VLO opened at $131.45 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $46.42 billion, a PE ratio of 4.53, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.92 and a beta of 1.66. The company has a current ratio of 1.59, a quick ratio of 1.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $123.83 and a 200-day moving average price of $123.27. Valero Energy Co. has a 12-month low of $97.73 and a 12-month high of $150.39.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 27th. The oil and gas company reported $5.40 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.08 by $0.32. The company had revenue of $34.51 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $34.37 billion. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 42.31% and a net margin of 6.96%. Valero Energy’s revenue for the quarter was down 33.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $11.36 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Valero Energy Co. will post 23.9 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 5th. Investors of record on Thursday, August 3rd will be issued a dividend of $1.02 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, August 2nd. This represents a $4.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.10%. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio is 14.05%.

Insider Activity at Valero Energy

In related news, Director Joseph W. Gorder sold 75,580 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $135.99, for a total transaction of $10,278,124.20. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 621,872 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $84,568,373.28. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 0.47% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Tudor Pickering raised Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $145.00 target price for the company in a research report on Monday, July 31st. Barclays increased their price target on Valero Energy from $139.00 to $142.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, August 7th. StockNews.com began coverage on Valero Energy in a research note on Thursday, August 17th. They set a “buy” rating for the company. Bank of America downgraded Valero Energy from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and cut their target price for the stock from $160.00 to $152.00 in a research note on Tuesday, August 15th. Finally, Mizuho raised their target price on Valero Energy from $152.00 to $162.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 16th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating, twelve have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $152.00.

Valero Energy Profile

Valero Energy Corporation manufactures, markets, and sells transportation fuels and petrochemical products in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Latin America, and internationally. It operates through three segments: Refining, Renewable Diesel, and Ethanol. The company produces California Reformulated Gasoline Blendstock for Oxygenate Blending and Conventional Blendstock for Oxygenate Blending gasolines, CARB diesel, diesel, jet fuel, and asphalt; aromatics; and sulfur crude oils.