Aberdeen Group plc Raises Stake in Valero Energy Corporation $VLO

Aberdeen Group plc grew its stake in shares of Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO) by 8.4% in the second quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 155,785 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after acquiring an additional 12,071 shares during the period. Aberdeen Group plc’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $21,088,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Wayfinding Financial LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Valero Energy during the first quarter valued at $26,000. Hoey Investments Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Valero Energy during the second quarter valued at $26,000. GFG Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Valero Energy during the second quarter valued at $27,000. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. lifted its stake in Valero Energy by 156.6% in the first quarter. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. now owns 213 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 130 shares during the period. Finally, Hemington Wealth Management lifted its stake in Valero Energy by 39.9% in the first quarter. Hemington Wealth Management now owns 333 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $43,000 after acquiring an additional 95 shares during the period. 78.69% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Valero Energy Stock Performance

Shares of Valero Energy stock opened at $161.18 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $50.07 billion, a PE ratio of 67.16, a P/E/G ratio of 1.68 and a beta of 1.05. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a current ratio of 1.62. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $153.97 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $138.19. Valero Energy Corporation has a one year low of $99.00 and a one year high of $178.43.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, July 24th. The oil and gas company reported $2.28 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.66 by $0.62. Valero Energy had a net margin of 0.62% and a return on equity of 5.76%. The business had revenue of $29.89 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $27 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.71 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was down 13.3% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts expect that Valero Energy Corporation will post 7.92 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 2nd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, July 31st were issued a dividend of $1.13 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, July 31st. This represents a $4.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.8%. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio is 188.33%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Piper Sandler upped their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $171.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, September 11th. Morgan Stanley lowered shares of Valero Energy from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and upped their price objective for the stock from $160.00 to $175.00 in a research note on Friday, October 3rd. Citigroup lowered shares of Valero Energy from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and upped their price objective for the stock from $134.00 to $150.00 in a research note on Wednesday, July 16th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $151.00 to $168.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 9th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Valero Energy in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $169.80.

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.