Atria Investments Inc Buys 1,230 Shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Atria Investments Inc lifted its stake in shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 2.9% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 43,442 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,230 shares during the quarter. Atria Investments Inc’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $7,415,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Rise Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Valero Energy during the 1st quarter worth about $33,000. First Foundation Advisors bought a new position in shares of Valero Energy during the 1st quarter worth about $37,000. LRI Investments LLC bought a new position in Valero Energy in the 1st quarter valued at about $39,000. Wetzel Investment Advisors Inc. bought a new position in Valero Energy in the 4th quarter valued at about $36,000. Finally, DT Investment Partners LLC acquired a new position in Valero Energy during the 4th quarter valued at about $45,000. Institutional investors own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Kimberly S. Greene sold 720 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $158.12, for a total value of $113,846.40. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 13,314 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,105,209.68. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Company insiders own 0.04% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have issued reports on VLO. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on Valero Energy from $156.00 to $165.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, July 26th. Piper Sandler cut their price target on Valero Energy from $187.00 to $169.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, June 14th. Mizuho upgraded Valero Energy from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $165.00 to $175.00 in a research note on Wednesday, July 17th. Wolfe Research initiated coverage on Valero Energy in a research note on Thursday, July 18th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $177.00 price target for the company. Finally, Barclays dropped their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $171.00 to $165.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, July 9th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $174.00.

Valero Energy Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:VLO traded down $7.89 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $148.56. The company had a trading volume of 3,457,861 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,709,691. The company has a current ratio of 1.48, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34. The firm has a market cap of $48.58 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.36, a PEG ratio of 2.99 and a beta of 1.42. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $153.10 and its 200-day moving average price is $154.00. Valero Energy Co. has a one year low of $119.88 and a one year high of $184.79.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 25th. The oil and gas company reported $2.71 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.60 by $0.11. The firm had revenue of $34.49 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $32.97 billion. Valero Energy had a net margin of 4.25% and a return on equity of 21.01%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down .1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $5.40 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Valero Energy Co. will post 13.06 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 3rd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, August 1st will be given a dividend of $1.07 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 1st. This represents a $4.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.88%. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 21.20%.

Valero Energy 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.