Varma Mutual Pension Insurance Co Has $4.81 Million Stock Position in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Varma Mutual Pension Insurance Co lessened its stake in shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 70.1% during the 2nd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 30,700 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 72,000 shares during the quarter. Varma Mutual Pension Insurance Co’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $4,813,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. 9258 Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Valero Energy by 7.2% in the 4th quarter. 9258 Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,704 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $222,000 after acquiring an additional 114 shares in the last quarter. Principal Securities Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Valero Energy in the fourth quarter worth $818,000. QRG Capital Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 0.6% during the fourth quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 56,564 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $7,353,000 after buying an additional 362 shares in the last quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 4.2% during the fourth quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. now owns 12,124 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $1,576,000 after buying an additional 484 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ieq Capital LLC lifted its stake in Valero Energy by 18.8% in the 4th quarter. Ieq Capital LLC now owns 9,258 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $1,204,000 after acquiring an additional 1,467 shares in the last quarter. 78.69% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Valero Energy Trading Down 0.0 %

NYSE:VLO opened at $134.17 on Tuesday. The company’s 50 day moving average is $148.31 and its 200-day moving average is $155.70. The company has a quick ratio of 1.04, a current ratio of 1.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34. Valero Energy Co. has a 12 month low of $119.88 and a 12 month high of $184.79. The firm has a market cap of $42.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 6.65, a P/E/G ratio of 2.73 and a beta of 1.40.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, July 25th. The oil and gas company reported $2.71 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.60 by $0.11. Valero Energy had a net margin of 4.25% and a return on equity of 21.01%. The firm had revenue of $34.49 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $32.97 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $5.40 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was down .1% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts anticipate that Valero Energy Co. will post 12.3 EPS for the current year.

Valero Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 3rd. Investors of record on Thursday, August 1st were paid a dividend of $1.07 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, August 1st. This represents a $4.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.19%. Valero Energy’s payout ratio is 21.20%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on VLO shares. Barclays dropped their target price on Valero Energy from $171.00 to $165.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, July 9th. Wolfe Research began coverage on shares of Valero Energy in a research note on Thursday, July 18th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $177.00 price objective on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $165.00 to $172.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 3rd. Piper Sandler dropped their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $187.00 to $169.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, June 14th. Finally, StockNews.com cut Valero Energy from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 17th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating, ten have issued 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 target price of $174.50.

Valero Energy Company 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.