Vanguard Group Inc. Lowers Stock Holdings in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Vanguard Group Inc. reduced its position in shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 3.2% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 32,093,189 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 1,065,206 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. owned about 9.65% of Valero Energy worth $4,172,115,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of VLO. BKM Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Valero Energy in the fourth quarter valued at $26,000. Wetzel Investment Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Valero Energy in the fourth quarter valued at $36,000. FSC Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Valero Energy in the fourth quarter valued at $38,000. McIlrath & Eck LLC raised its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 40.3% in the third quarter. McIlrath & Eck LLC now owns 303 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $43,000 after acquiring an additional 87 shares in the last quarter. Finally, DT Investment Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Valero Energy in the fourth quarter valued at $45,000. 78.69% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Valero Energy Stock Up 0.7 %

VLO opened at $151.11 on Tuesday. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $160.64 and its 200-day simple moving average is $148.67. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a current ratio of 1.59. Valero Energy Co. has a one year low of $108.28 and a one year high of $184.79. The stock has a market capitalization of $49.41 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.48, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.41 and a beta of 1.47.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The oil and gas company reported $3.82 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.18 by $0.64. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 24.82% and a net margin of 5.01%. The business had revenue of $31.76 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $32.02 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $8.27 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was down 12.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts anticipate that Valero Energy Co. will post 17.74 EPS for the current year.

Valero Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 28th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 30th will be issued a dividend of $1.07 per share. This represents a $4.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.83%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 30th. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 21.20%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Kimberly S. Greene sold 720 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $158.12, for a total transaction of $113,846.40. Following the transaction, the director now owns 13,314 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,105,209.68. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.47% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on VLO. StockNews.com upgraded Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday. Barclays cut their price target on Valero Energy from $179.00 to $173.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 30th. UBS Group raised their price target on Valero Energy from $167.00 to $197.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 26th. Mizuho raised their price target on Valero Energy from $173.00 to $176.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, May 13th. Finally, Argus cut Valero Energy from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 16th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $172.33.

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.