Country Trust Bank Trims Stock Position in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Country Trust Bank decreased its holdings in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 0.4% in the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 216,661 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 944 shares during the period. Country Trust Bank’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $29,256,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the stock. EdgeRock Capital LLC acquired a new position in Valero Energy during the second quarter worth approximately $27,000. Lynx Investment Advisory purchased a new position in shares of Valero Energy in the 2nd quarter worth $29,000. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC acquired a new position in Valero Energy in the first quarter valued at $33,000. Rise Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Valero Energy during the first quarter valued at about $33,000. Finally, Summit Securities Group LLC acquired a new stake in Valero Energy during the second quarter worth about $31,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Barclays decreased their target price on Valero Energy from $165.00 to $146.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, October 2nd. Scotiabank increased their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $165.00 to $173.00 and gave the stock a “sector outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, July 12th. 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 report on Tuesday, September 3rd. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their price target on Valero Energy from $149.00 to $131.00 and set a “sell” rating for the company in a report on Monday, September 16th. Finally, Wolfe Research started coverage on Valero Energy in a research report on Thursday, July 18th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $177.00 target price for the company. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $165.20.

Valero Energy Stock Performance

Shares of VLO stock opened at $136.34 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $44.58 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 6.85, a PEG ratio of 3.62 and a beta of 1.39. Valero Energy Co. has a one year low of $119.88 and a one year high of $184.79. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $142.41 and its 200-day simple moving average is $153.49. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a current ratio of 1.48.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last released its earnings results on Thursday, July 25th. The oil and gas company reported $2.71 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.60 by $0.11. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 21.01% and a net margin of 4.25%. The company 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 business posted $5.40 EPS. Valero Energy’s quarterly revenue was down .1% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts anticipate that Valero Energy Co. will post 9.85 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 3rd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, August 1st were issued a $1.07 dividend. This represents a $4.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.14%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, August 1st. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 21.20%.

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.