Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC cut its position in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO – Free Report) by 34.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 28,860 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 15,287 shares during the quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $3,752,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.
A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Morgan Stanley boosted its position in shares of Valero Energy by 6.1% in the 3rd quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 8,961,603 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $1,269,949,000 after purchasing an additional 517,068 shares during the period. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Valero Energy during the 4th quarter worth approximately $570,428,000. Northern Trust Corp lifted its position in Valero Energy by 3.2% during the 3rd quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 3,899,875 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $552,651,000 after acquiring an additional 121,057 shares during the period. Pacer Advisors Inc. lifted its position in Valero Energy by 14.0% during the 4th quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 2,788,994 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $362,569,000 after acquiring an additional 342,218 shares during the period. Finally, Montrusco Bolton Investments Inc. lifted its position in Valero Energy by 18.7% during the 4th quarter. Montrusco Bolton Investments Inc. now owns 2,389,654 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $310,655,000 after acquiring an additional 376,449 shares during the period. 78.69% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
Insiders Place Their Bets
In other Valero Energy news, Director Kimberly S. Greene sold 720 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $158.12, for a total transaction of $113,846.40. Following the completion of 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 document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 0.04% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.
Valero Energy Price Performance
NYSE VLO traded up $6.30 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $157.20. The stock had a trading volume of 4,902,145 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,165,484. Valero Energy Co. has a 52-week low of $105.66 and a 52-week high of $184.79. The company has a market cap of $51.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.79, a P/E/G ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 1.55. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $165.42 and a 200 day simple moving average of $146.20. The company has a quick ratio of 1.10, a current ratio of 1.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35.
Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO – Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The oil and gas company reported $3.82 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.18 by $0.64. The company had revenue of $31.76 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $32.02 billion. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 24.82% and a net margin of 5.01%. Valero Energy’s revenue was down 12.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $8.27 earnings per share. Equities analysts forecast that Valero Energy Co. will post 18.11 EPS for the current fiscal year.
Valero Energy Announces Dividend
The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 28th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 30th will be given a dividend of $1.07 per share. This represents a $4.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.72%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 30th. Valero Energy’s payout ratio is 21.20%.
Analysts Set New Price Targets
A number of research firms have weighed in on VLO. UBS Group increased their price objective on Valero Energy from $167.00 to $197.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 26th. TD Cowen decreased their price objective on Valero Energy from $190.00 to $185.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 29th. Argus cut Valero Energy from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 16th. Scotiabank increased their target price on Valero Energy from $138.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a “sector outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 11th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on Valero Energy from $171.00 to $184.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 4th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Valero Energy presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $173.87.
Check Out Our Latest Stock Analysis on Valero Energy
Valero Energy Company Profile
(Free Report)
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.
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