Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC Makes New Investment in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor purchased 521,007 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock, valued at approximately $70,352,000. Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC owned about 0.16% of Valero Energy as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the business. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its stake in Valero Energy by 0.5% during the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 10,287,269 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $1,389,090,000 after buying an additional 50,837 shares during the period. Ameriprise Financial Inc. raised its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 2.8% in the 2nd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 6,956,743 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $1,090,532,000 after acquiring an additional 192,397 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 5.8% in the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 4,319,436 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $677,007,000 after acquiring an additional 237,347 shares during the last quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. boosted its position in shares of Valero Energy by 18.8% during the 3rd quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 3,585,166 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $484,105,000 after purchasing an additional 567,059 shares during the period. Finally, Legal & General Group Plc increased its holdings in Valero Energy by 3.0% in the 2nd quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 2,809,355 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $440,394,000 after purchasing an additional 82,539 shares during the last quarter. 78.69% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Valero Energy Stock Down 0.8 %

Valero Energy stock opened at $133.05 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $42.12 billion, a PE ratio of 11.93, a P/E/G ratio of 2.50 and a beta of 1.39. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a current ratio of 1.57 and a quick ratio of 1.11. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $137.07 and its two-hundred day moving average is $144.70. Valero Energy Co. has a 1-year low of $120.21 and a 1-year high of $184.79.

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

Valero Energy Announces Dividend

The firm 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 $1.07 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, November 20th. This represents a $4.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.22%. Valero Energy’s payout ratio is 38.39%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

VLO has been the topic of a number of research reports. TD Cowen decreased their price target on Valero Energy from $145.00 to $140.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Mizuho decreased their target price 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. BMO Capital Markets lowered their target price on Valero Energy from $175.00 to $165.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, October 4th. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded shares of Valero Energy from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and cut their price target for the stock from $172.00 to $165.00 in a research note on Wednesday, October 9th. Finally, Barclays lowered their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $146.00 to $140.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, November 11th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus 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.