Denali Advisors LLC Has $1.09 Million Stock Holdings in Valero Energy Corporation $VLO

Denali Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO) by 73.5% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 6,418 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after buying an additional 2,718 shares during the period. Denali Advisors LLC’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $1,093,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. DSG Capital Advisors LLC raised its stake in Valero Energy by 1.6% in the 3rd quarter. DSG Capital Advisors LLC now owns 3,803 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $647,000 after purchasing an additional 60 shares in the last quarter. Cypress Capital Group raised its position in shares of Valero Energy by 0.3% in the third quarter. Cypress Capital Group now owns 18,786 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $3,199,000 after buying an additional 63 shares in the last quarter. Private Trust Co. NA boosted its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 2.0% in the third quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 3,381 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $576,000 after buying an additional 65 shares during the period. Highline Wealth Partners LLC grew its position in Valero Energy by 70.2% during the third quarter. Highline Wealth Partners LLC now owns 160 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 66 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Salomon & Ludwin LLC increased its stake in Valero Energy by 17.0% during the 3rd quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC now owns 476 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $76,000 after acquiring an additional 69 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on VLO shares. Mizuho reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $192.00 target price (up from $190.00) on shares of Valero Energy in a research report on Friday, December 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $197.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. TD Cowen boosted their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $162.00 to $165.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, October 24th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $216.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, November 10th. Finally, UBS Group reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Valero Energy in a research note on Tuesday, January 6th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating and ten have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $187.67.

Valero Energy Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:VLO opened at $200.16 on Tuesday. Valero Energy Corporation has a one year low of $99.00 and a one year high of $206.77. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a current ratio of 1.60 and a quick ratio of 1.09. The company has a market cap of $61.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.20, a PEG ratio of 1.04 and a beta of 0.77. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $179.95 and a 200 day simple moving average of $168.02.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The oil and gas company reported $3.82 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.27 by $0.55. Valero Energy had a net margin of 1.91% and a return on equity of 12.34%. The company had revenue of $30.37 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $28.20 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.64 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts predict that Valero Energy Corporation will post 7.92 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 9th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, February 5th will be issued a dividend of $1.20 per share. This represents a $4.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.4%. This is an increase from Valero Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.13. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, February 5th. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 62.83%.

Insider Activity

In related news, CFO Jason W. Fraser sold 9,933 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $174.02, for a total value of $1,728,540.66. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 134,196 shares in the company, valued at $23,352,787.92. This trade represents a 6.89% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.37% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Valero Energy Company 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.