Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC Acquires 340 Shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 3.2% in the third quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 10,870 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after purchasing an additional 340 shares during the quarter. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $1,468,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of VLO. EdgeRock Capital LLC bought a new stake in Valero Energy in the 2nd quarter valued at $27,000. Peterson Financial Group Inc. acquired a new position in Valero Energy during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $28,000. Lynx Investment Advisory bought a new position in shares of Valero Energy during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $29,000. Summit Securities Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Valero Energy in the second quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Finally, Pathway Financial Advisers LLC bought a new stake in shares of Valero Energy in the first quarter worth $33,000. 78.69% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Valero Energy Stock Performance

NYSE VLO opened at $142.01 on Wednesday. Valero Energy Co. has a 52-week low of $120.21 and a 52-week high of $184.79. The stock has a market cap of $44.96 billion, a PE ratio of 12.74, a P/E/G ratio of 2.69 and a beta of 1.39. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $136.15 and a 200-day moving average of $146.15. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a current ratio of 1.57.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 24th. The oil and gas company reported $1.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.98 by $0.16. The company had revenue of $32.88 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $31.04 billion. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 13.07% and a net margin of 2.74%. The business’s revenue was down 14.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $7.49 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Valero Energy Co. will post 8.92 EPS for the current year.

Valero Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 20th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, November 20th will be issued a dividend of $1.07 per share. This represents a $4.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.01%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, November 20th. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 38.39%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

VLO has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $172.00 to $151.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, October 2nd. TD Cowen decreased their price objective on Valero Energy from $145.00 to $140.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, October 25th. Citigroup dropped their target price on Valero Energy from $192.00 to $176.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, October 25th. Scotiabank decreased their price target on Valero Energy from $173.00 to $141.00 and set a “sector outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, October 10th. Finally, Mizuho dropped their price objective on Valero Energy from $175.00 to $171.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, September 16th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $155.86.

About Valero Energy

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.