swisspartners Advisors Ltd Acquires 1,820 Shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

swisspartners Advisors Ltd boosted its holdings in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 4.3% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 44,530 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,820 shares during the quarter. Valero Energy accounts for about 4.7% of swisspartners Advisors Ltd’s portfolio, making the stock its 11th largest holding. swisspartners Advisors Ltd’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $6,013,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. International Assets Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in Valero Energy by 11,318.9% in the 3rd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 1,076,349 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $145,339,000 after buying an additional 1,066,923 shares during the period. Acadian Asset Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 37.6% during the first quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 1,558,750 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $266,040,000 after buying an additional 426,093 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 5.8% during the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 4,319,436 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $677,007,000 after buying an additional 237,347 shares in the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 17.6% during the 2nd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 1,550,010 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $238,841,000 after acquiring an additional 232,494 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Westwood Holdings Group Inc. bought a new stake in Valero Energy during the 1st quarter worth $39,517,000. Institutional investors own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Valero Energy Trading Down 1.2 %

Shares of NYSE:VLO traded down $1.54 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $128.22. The company had a trading volume of 2,169,961 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,574,284. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a current ratio of 1.57 and a quick ratio of 1.04. Valero Energy Co. has a one year low of $119.88 and a one year high of $184.79. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $136.69 and a 200 day moving average price of $148.56. The company has a market capitalization of $41.08 billion, a PE ratio of 11.50, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.32 and a beta of 1.39.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The oil and gas company reported $1.14 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.98 by $0.16. The business had revenue of $32.88 billion during 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 firm’s revenue was down 14.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $7.49 EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that Valero Energy Co. will post 9.32 EPS for the current year.

Valero Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 20th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, November 20th will be paid a dividend of $1.07 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, November 20th. This represents a $4.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.34%. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 38.39%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have commented on the company. StockNews.com downgraded Valero Energy from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 17th. Wolfe Research began coverage on shares of Valero Energy in a research report on Thursday, July 18th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $177.00 target price on the stock. Citigroup decreased their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $192.00 to $176.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, October 25th. BMO Capital Markets cut their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $175.00 to $165.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, October 4th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their price objective on Valero Energy from $149.00 to $131.00 and set a “sell” rating for the company in a report on Monday, September 16th. One investment 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. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $156.29.

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.