Sivia Capital Partners LLC Buys New Holdings in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Sivia Capital Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor acquired 1,707 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock, valued at approximately $225,000.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Ameriflex Group Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Valero Energy during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Tobam purchased a new stake in Valero Energy during the 4th quarter valued at $30,000. Golden State Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Valero Energy during the 4th quarter valued at $38,000. OFI Invest Asset Management purchased a new stake in Valero Energy during the 4th quarter valued at $37,000. Finally, Creative Capital Management Investments LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 122.0% during the fourth quarter. Creative Capital Management Investments LLC now owns 333 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $41,000 after purchasing an additional 183 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Valero Energy Stock Up 1.2%

Shares of NYSE:VLO opened at $128.35 on Monday. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $120.32 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $127.66. The company has a current ratio of 1.57, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. The stock has a market capitalization of $40.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.14, a PEG ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 0.99. Valero Energy Co. has a 12-month low of $99.00 and a 12-month high of $167.78.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The oil and gas company reported $0.89 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.16 by ($0.27). Valero Energy had a return on equity of 9.58% and a net margin of 2.13%. The firm had revenue of $28.76 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $28.54 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $3.82 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 4.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts anticipate that Valero Energy Co. will post 7.92 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 18th. Investors of record on Tuesday, May 20th will be issued a $1.13 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, May 20th. This represents a $4.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.52%. Valero Energy’s payout ratio is currently 159.72%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on VLO shares. Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $160.00 to $145.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 24th. Scotiabank dropped their price objective on Valero Energy from $156.00 to $136.00 and set a “sector outperform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, April 11th. Piper Sandler dropped their price target on Valero Energy from $144.00 to $140.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, May 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on Valero Energy from $152.00 to $147.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 28th. Finally, TD Cowen dropped their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $121.00 to $118.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 25th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $151.93.

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.