International Assets Investment Management LLC Purchases 969 Shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

International Assets Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 12.0% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 9,026 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after acquiring an additional 969 shares during the quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $1,558,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Collective Family Office LLC increased its position in shares of Valero Energy by 1.5% in the 1st quarter. Collective Family Office LLC now owns 4,040 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $690,000 after acquiring an additional 58 shares during the period. Versant Capital Management Inc lifted its position in Valero Energy by 4.7% during the first quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 1,327 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $227,000 after purchasing an additional 59 shares during the period. United Community Bank boosted its holdings in Valero Energy by 2.2% in the fourth quarter. United Community Bank now owns 3,416 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $444,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares during the last quarter. Marino Stram & Associates LLC raised its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 0.9% during the 4th quarter. Marino Stram & Associates LLC now owns 8,384 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $1,090,000 after buying an additional 77 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Montag A & Associates Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 0.9% in the 4th quarter. Montag A & Associates Inc. now owns 8,899 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $1,157,000 after buying an additional 78 shares during the period. 78.69% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Valero Energy Stock Performance

VLO opened at $150.21 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of $49.12 billion, a PE ratio of 7.44, a PEG ratio of 1.47 and a beta of 1.47. The company has a current ratio of 1.59, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. Valero Energy Co. has a twelve month low of $108.28 and a twelve month high of $184.79. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $158.64 and its 200 day moving average price is $149.38.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The oil and gas company reported $3.82 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.18 by $0.64. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 24.82% and a net margin of 5.01%. The business had revenue of $31.76 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $32.02 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $8.27 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was down 12.8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Valero Energy Co. will post 17.32 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 28th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 30th will be given a dividend of $1.07 per share. This represents a $4.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.85%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 30th. Valero Energy’s payout ratio is presently 21.20%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts recently weighed in on VLO shares. StockNews.com cut Valero Energy from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Sunday. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $130.00 to $171.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a report on Friday, March 22nd. UBS Group lifted their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $167.00 to $197.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 26th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on Valero Energy from $184.00 to $179.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, June 6th. Finally, Citigroup upped their price target on Valero Energy from $160.00 to $192.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, April 18th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Valero Energy has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $172.00.

Insider Activity at Valero Energy

In other news, Director Kimberly S. Greene sold 720 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $158.12, for a total transaction of $113,846.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 13,314 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,105,209.68. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.04% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Valero Energy Company 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.