Valero Energy Corporation $VLO Shares Bought by Russell Investments Group Ltd.

Russell Investments Group Ltd. increased its position in shares of Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO) by 5.9% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 709,766 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after purchasing an additional 39,606 shares during the quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. owned approximately 0.25% of Valero Energy worth $275,127,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Balance Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Valero Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at about $32,000. Latitude Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Valero Energy in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $34,000. Cornerstone Financial Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 57.6% in the 2nd quarter. Cornerstone Financial Management LLC now owns 104 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 38 shares during the last quarter. Mascoma Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 1,980.0% in the 3rd quarter. Mascoma Wealth Management LLC now owns 104 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $40,000 after buying an additional 99 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Signature Equity Partners LLC grew its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 126.8% in the third quarter. Signature Equity Partners LLC now owns 127 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $49,000 after acquiring an additional 71 shares in the last quarter. 78.69% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Valero Energy Stock Up 3.1%

VLO opened at $374.96 on Friday. Valero Energy Corporation has a twelve month low of $159.90 and a twelve month high of $461.52. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $399.72 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $293.11. The stock has a market cap of $104.57 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.43, a PEG ratio of 0.19 and a beta of 0.58. 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 (NYSE:VLO) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 22nd. The oil and gas company reported $23.90 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $21.17 by $2.73. The company had revenue of $46.10 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $42.71 billion. Valero Energy had a net margin of 8.44% and a return on equity of 45.90%. Valero Energy’s quarterly revenue was up 43.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $3.66 EPS. As a group, equities analysts expect that Valero Energy Corporation will post 58.33 earnings per share for the current year.

Valero Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 21st. Investors of record on Tuesday, November 24th will be paid a $1.20 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, November 24th. This represents a $4.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.3%. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 10.80%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently commented on VLO shares. Dbs Bank downgraded Valero Energy to a “hold” rating and set a $436.00 price target for the company. in a research report on Monday, October 19th. UBS Group reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $467.00 price target (up from $355.00) on shares of Valero Energy in a report on Tuesday, October 6th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted 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. Barclays upped their price objective on Valero Energy from $441.00 to $443.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, October 23rd. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their target price on Valero Energy from $411.00 to $420.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, November 2nd. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating, eight have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $406.32.

About Valero Energy

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.