Ieq Capital LLC Has $25.50 Million Stock Position in Valero Energy Corporation $VLO

Ieq Capital LLC increased its stake in shares of Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO) by 22.8% during the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 97,901 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after acquiring an additional 18,195 shares during the quarter. Ieq Capital LLC’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $25,498,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of VLO. Sierra Summit Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 2,325.2% in the fourth quarter. Sierra Summit Advisors LLC now owns 36,378 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $5,922,000 after purchasing an additional 34,878 shares in the last quarter. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 846.9% during the 4th quarter. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. now owns 14,752 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $2,401,000 after acquiring an additional 13,194 shares during the period. North Dakota State Investment Board acquired a new position in Valero Energy in the fourth quarter worth about $1,743,000. Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH boosted its holdings in Valero Energy by 4.2% during the first quarter. Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH now owns 192,430 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $47,546,000 after purchasing an additional 7,702 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Dymon Asia Capital Singapore PTE. LTD. bought a new stake in shares of Valero Energy in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $2,268,000. 78.69% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Valero Energy Stock Performance

NYSE:VLO opened at $349.27 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $100.56 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.49, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.23 and a beta of 0.55. The company has a current ratio of 1.64, a quick ratio of 1.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37. Valero Energy Corporation has a 1 year low of $140.13 and a 1 year high of $352.70. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $292.93 and a 200-day moving average of $253.69.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The oil and gas company reported $12.54 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $10.11 by $2.43. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 26.74% and a net margin of 5.17%.The business had revenue of $44.48 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $39.47 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $2.28 EPS. Valero Energy’s revenue for the quarter was up 48.8% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Valero Energy Corporation will post 40.62 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, July 31st will be paid a $1.20 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 31st. This represents a $4.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.4%. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 19.92%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on VLO shares. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on Valero Energy from $232.00 to $255.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, June 12th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on Valero Energy from $286.00 to $357.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Piper Sandler reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $329.00 price objective on shares of Valero Energy in a research note on Thursday, July 23rd. Jefferies Financial Group set a $350.00 price objective on Valero Energy in a report on Monday, August 3rd. Finally, UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $280.00 to $355.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, July 31st. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Valero Energy presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $288.00.

Insider Buying and Selling at Valero Energy

In related news, SVP Eric A. Fisher sold 7,500 shares of Valero Energy stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $268.17, for a total value of $2,011,275.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 19,742 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,294,212.14. The trade was a 27.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.36% 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.