Valero Energy Corporation $VLO Stock Holdings Raised by Russell Investments Group Ltd.

Russell Investments Group Ltd. raised its holdings in shares of Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO) by 5.9% during the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 709,766 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after acquiring an additional 39,606 shares during the quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd.’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $275,127,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in VLO. Moore Capital Management LP bought a new stake in Valero Energy during the 2nd quarter valued at $13,193,000. QRG Capital Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Valero Energy by 5.5% during the second quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 58,558 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $15,251,000 after acquiring an additional 3,037 shares in the last quarter. QP Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Valero Energy in the third quarter worth $1,423,000. Atlatl Advisers LLC bought a new position in shares of Valero Energy in the third quarter worth $10,206,000. Finally, Jennison Associates LLC grew its position in shares of Valero Energy by 377.1% in the first quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 413,437 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $102,152,000 after purchasing an additional 326,777 shares in the last quarter. 78.69% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

VLO has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Citigroup boosted their price objective on Valero Energy from $485.00 to $490.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, October 23rd. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their price objective on Valero Energy from $401.00 to $394.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, October 8th. Bank of America raised their target price on Valero Energy from $395.00 to $414.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, October 2nd. Zacks Research raised Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 4th. Finally, Mizuho lifted their target price on Valero Energy from $434.00 to $436.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, November 2nd. Three investment 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 assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Valero Energy currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $406.32.

Valero Energy Stock Performance

NYSE VLO opened at $374.96 on Friday. Valero Energy Corporation has a 1 year low of $159.90 and a 1 year high of $461.52. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 1.72 and a quick ratio of 1.33. The stock has a market capitalization of $104.57 billion, a PE ratio of 8.43, a P/E/G ratio of 0.19 and a beta of 0.58. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $399.72 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $293.11.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 22nd. The oil and gas company reported $23.90 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $21.17 by $2.73. The firm had revenue of $46.10 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $42.71 billion. Valero Energy had a net margin of 8.44% and a return on equity of 45.90%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 43.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $3.66 EPS. Analysts predict that Valero Energy Corporation will post 58.33 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Announces Dividend

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

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.