Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) Shares Sold by Strategic Blueprint LLC

Strategic Blueprint LLC lowered its holdings in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 6.9% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 2,327 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 172 shares during the quarter. Strategic Blueprint LLC’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $314,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in VLO. EdgeRock Capital LLC purchased a new position in Valero Energy during the second quarter worth approximately $27,000. Lynx Investment Advisory bought a new stake in shares of Valero Energy in the second quarter worth $29,000. Summit Securities Group LLC acquired a new position in Valero Energy in the second quarter worth about $31,000. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC bought a new stake in Valero Energy in the first quarter valued at about $33,000. Finally, Compagnie Lombard Odier SCmA acquired a new stake in Valero Energy during the third quarter valued at approximately $34,000. 78.69% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have weighed in on VLO. The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $149.00 to $131.00 and set a “sell” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, September 16th. Piper Sandler lowered Valero Energy from an “overweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and lowered their target price for the company from $169.00 to $123.00 in a report on Friday, September 20th. BMO Capital Markets lowered their price objective on Valero Energy from $175.00 to $165.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, October 4th. StockNews.com cut Valero Energy from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 17th. Finally, Bank of America assumed coverage on shares of Valero Energy in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $150.00 price target for the company. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $156.29.

Valero Energy Stock Down 1.2 %

VLO opened at $128.22 on Friday. Valero Energy Co. has a twelve month low of $119.88 and a twelve month high of $184.79. The firm has a market cap of $41.08 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.50, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.30 and a beta of 1.39. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a current ratio of 1.48. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $136.69 and a 200 day moving average price of $148.56.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last released its earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The oil and gas company reported $1.14 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.98 by $0.16. The firm had revenue of $32.88 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $31.04 billion. Valero Energy had a net margin of 2.74% and a return on equity of 13.01%. The business’s revenue was down 14.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $7.49 EPS. Research analysts forecast that Valero Energy Co. will post 9.32 EPS for the current year.

Valero Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 20th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, November 20th will be issued a dividend of $1.07 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, November 20th. This represents a $4.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.34%. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 38.39%.

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.