First Command Advisory Services Inc. Purchases 1,431 Shares of Valero Energy Corporation $VLO

First Command Advisory Services Inc. boosted its position in Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO) by 218.5% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,086 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,431 shares during the quarter. First Command Advisory Services Inc.’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $809,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Blue Zone Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Valero Energy by 2.4% in the 3rd quarter. Blue Zone Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,027 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $398,000 after purchasing an additional 24 shares during the last quarter. Grove Bank & Trust raised its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 1.0% in the 3rd quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 2,608 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $1,011,000 after purchasing an additional 25 shares in the last quarter. 180 Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Valero Energy by 0.5% during the 3rd quarter. 180 Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 5,317 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $2,061,000 after purchasing an additional 28 shares during the last quarter. Sigma Planning Corp lifted its position in shares of Valero Energy by 0.4% during the 3rd quarter. Sigma Planning Corp now owns 7,171 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $2,779,000 after purchasing an additional 29 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Modera Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Valero Energy by 3.7% during the 3rd quarter. Modera Wealth Management LLC now owns 956 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $370,000 after purchasing an additional 34 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

VLO has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. TD Cowen boosted their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $375.00 to $400.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 22nd. Bank of America raised their price target on Valero Energy from $395.00 to $414.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, October 2nd. Dbs Bank downgraded Valero Energy to a “hold” rating and set a $436.00 price target for the company. in a report on Monday, October 19th. Weiss Ratings raised Valero Energy from a “buy (b+)” rating to a “buy (a-)” rating in a report on Thursday, October 29th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price objective on Valero Energy from $457.00 to $496.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, October 9th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Valero Energy presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $406.32.

Valero Energy Stock Performance

Shares of Valero Energy stock opened at $364.23 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.33, a current ratio of 1.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. Valero Energy Corporation has a 52 week low of $159.90 and a 52 week high of $461.52. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $399.54 and its two-hundred day moving average is $292.16. The firm has a market capitalization of $101.58 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.19, a P/E/G ratio of 0.18 and a beta of 0.58.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 22nd. The oil and gas company reported $23.90 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $21.17 by $2.73. The business had revenue of $46.10 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $42.71 billion. Valero Energy had a net margin of 8.44% and a return on equity of 45.90%. The company’s revenue was up 43.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $3.66 EPS. Research analysts forecast that Valero Energy Corporation will post 58.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 21st. Investors of record on Tuesday, November 24th will be given a $1.20 dividend. This represents a $4.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, November 24th. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 10.80%.

Key Headlines Impacting Valero Energy

Here are a few of the latest headlines about VLO:

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks highlighted Valero for above-average financial growth and included VLO among its Rank #1 (Strong Buy) growth stocks, potentially reinforcing the bullish case for earnings prospects. Article: 3 Reasons Why Growth Investors Shouldn’t Overlook Valero Energy Article: Best Growth Stocks to Buy for November 11th
• Neutral Sentiment: A MarketWatch report said VLO underperformed competitors on Tuesday, a relative-performance note that may weigh on sentiment but does not identify a new company-specific development. Article: Valero Energy Stock Underperforms Tuesday Compared with Competitors
• Negative Sentiment: Jim Cramer advised investors to sell, arguing that Valero’s refining-cycle rally may be over and that margins could normalize further. This is a caution about the cycle and profit-taking, rather than a reported change in Valero’s operations. Article: Cramer Recommends Selling Valero Energy Stock

Valero Energy Company Profile

Valero Energy Corporation is an international refiner and producer of transportation fuels and other petroleum products, headquartered in San Antonio, Texas. Its refining business processes crude oil and other feedstocks into products such as gasoline, diesel, jet fuel, asphalt and petrochemical feedstocks. The company markets and distributes fuels to wholesale customers and through branded distribution networks. Its refining operations span the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom, with products serving customers in North America and other markets.