Ashton Thomas Securities LLC Takes $50,000 Position in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund acquired 371 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock, valued at approximately $50,000.

A number of other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. International Private Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 3.4% in the second quarter. International Private Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,970 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $309,000 after buying an additional 65 shares during the period. OmniStar Financial Group Inc. lifted its position in Valero Energy by 1.6% in the 2nd quarter. OmniStar Financial Group Inc. now owns 4,543 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $712,000 after acquiring an additional 70 shares in the last quarter. Everhart Financial Group Inc. boosted its stake in Valero Energy by 5.5% in the 2nd quarter. Everhart Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,366 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $214,000 after purchasing an additional 71 shares during the period. St. Johns Investment Management Company LLC increased its holdings in Valero Energy by 1.4% during the 2nd quarter. St. Johns Investment Management Company LLC now owns 5,068 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $794,000 after purchasing an additional 72 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Magnus Financial Group LLC raised its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 4.3% in the 2nd quarter. Magnus Financial Group LLC now owns 1,752 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $275,000 after purchasing an additional 73 shares during the period. 78.69% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Valero Energy Stock Performance

VLO opened at $139.55 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.11, a current ratio of 1.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. Valero Energy Co. has a 12-month low of $120.21 and a 12-month high of $184.79. The business has a 50 day moving average of $135.63 and a 200-day moving average of $146.80. The stock has a market cap of $44.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.52, a PEG ratio of 2.51 and a beta of 1.39.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The oil and gas company reported $1.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.98 by $0.16. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 13.07% and a net margin of 2.74%. The business had revenue of $32.88 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $31.04 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $7.49 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 14.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts expect that Valero Energy Co. will post 9.1 earnings per share 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 issued a $1.07 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, November 20th. This represents a $4.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.07%. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 38.39%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have recently weighed in on VLO. Bank of America assumed coverage on Valero Energy in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $150.00 price objective for the company. StockNews.com cut shares of Valero Energy from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 17th. TD Cowen cut their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $145.00 to $140.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, October 25th. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $149.00 to $131.00 and set a “sell” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, September 16th. Finally, Piper Sandler cut shares of Valero Energy from an “overweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and cut their price target for the stock from $169.00 to $123.00 in a research report on Friday, September 20th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently 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.