Stephens Inc. AR Decreases Stock Holdings in Valero Energy Corporation $VLO

Stephens Inc. AR lessened its stake in shares of Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO) by 22.5% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 49,856 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 14,460 shares during the quarter. Stephens Inc. AR’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $8,488,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in VLO. Hoey Investments Inc. bought a new position in Valero Energy during the second quarter valued at approximately $26,000. GFG Capital LLC purchased a new stake in Valero Energy during the 2nd quarter valued at $27,000. Highline Wealth Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 70.2% during the 3rd quarter. Highline Wealth Partners LLC now owns 160 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 66 shares during the period. Hantz Financial Services Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 1,277.8% in the 2nd quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 248 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 230 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Global Wealth Strategies & Associates bought a new stake in shares of Valero Energy in the third quarter worth $34,000. 78.69% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have weighed in on VLO. Raymond James Financial reissued a “strong-buy” rating and issued a $195.00 target price (up previously from $181.00) on shares of Valero Energy in a report on Friday, October 24th. Bank of America reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $195.00 price objective (down previously from $198.00) on shares of Valero Energy in a research note on Thursday, December 11th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $181.00 to $194.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, October 10th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $216.00 to $220.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, November 10th. Finally, Barclays lifted their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $169.00 to $184.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, November 17th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $183.00.

Valero Energy Stock Performance

VLO opened at $186.13 on Thursday. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $173.69 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $160.47. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a current ratio of 1.60 and a quick ratio of 1.09. The firm has a market cap of $56.77 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.86, a PEG ratio of 1.08 and a beta of 0.77. Valero Energy Corporation has a 1-year low of $99.00 and a 1-year high of $192.00.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last released its earnings results on Thursday, October 23rd. The oil and gas company reported $3.66 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.15 by $0.51. The company had revenue of $32.17 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $28.80 billion. Valero Energy had a net margin of 1.21% and a return on equity of 8.69%. Valero Energy’s revenue for the quarter was down 2.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.14 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that Valero Energy Corporation will post 7.92 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 18th. Investors of record on Thursday, November 20th were given a dividend of $1.13 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, November 20th. This represents a $4.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.4%. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 94.36%.

Insider Transactions at Valero Energy

In related news, CFO Jason W. Fraser sold 9,933 shares of Valero Energy stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $174.02, for a total transaction of $1,728,540.66. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 134,196 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $23,352,787.92. This trade represents a 6.89% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Company insiders own 0.04% of the company’s stock.

Valero Energy Profile

Valero Energy Corporation is a San Antonio, Texas–based integrated downstream energy company that manufactures and markets transportation fuels, petrochemical feedstocks and other industrial products. The company’s operations focus on refining crude oil into finished fuels such as gasoline, diesel and jet fuel, as well as producing asphalt and other refined product streams for commercial and industrial customers.

In addition to refining, Valero has significant operations in renewable fuels, including the production of ethanol and other biofuels, and it manages an extensive logistics network of pipelines, terminals, rail and marine assets to move feedstocks and finished products.