Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) Shares Sold by Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd.

Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. decreased its stake in shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 5.0% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 10,380 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 548 shares during the period. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd.’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $1,627,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. 9258 Wealth Management LLC raised 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 worth $222,000 after buying an additional 114 shares during the period. Quest Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Valero Energy in the 4th quarter worth about $662,000. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 23.1% in the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 598,764 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $77,839,000 after purchasing an additional 112,178 shares in the last quarter. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board grew its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 214.4% during the 4th quarter. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board now owns 14,475 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $1,882,000 after purchasing an additional 9,871 shares during the period. Finally, US Bancorp DE increased its position in Valero Energy by 0.5% during the 4th quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 211,026 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $27,434,000 after purchasing an additional 962 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Valero Energy Stock Up 1.5 %

VLO stock opened at $138.67 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $44.43 billion, a P/E ratio of 6.87, a PEG ratio of 2.72 and a beta of 1.40. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $145.69 and a 200-day simple moving average of $155.13. The company has a current ratio of 1.48, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34. Valero Energy Co. has a twelve month low of $119.88 and a twelve month high of $184.79.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last released its earnings results on Thursday, July 25th. The oil and gas company reported $2.71 earnings per share 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 company had revenue of $34.49 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $32.97 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $5.40 EPS. The company’s revenue was down .1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts predict that Valero Energy Co. will post 12.3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 3rd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, August 1st were issued a dividend of $1.07 per share. This represents a $4.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.09%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, August 1st. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 21.20%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have weighed in on VLO shares. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $165.00 to $172.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 3rd. Mizuho decreased their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $175.00 to $171.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Monday. StockNews.com lowered Valero Energy from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 17th. Scotiabank upped their target price on Valero Energy from $165.00 to $173.00 and gave the stock a “sector outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, July 12th. Finally, 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. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Valero Energy presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $171.36.

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.