Wright Investors Service Inc. Sells 4,293 Shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Wright Investors Service Inc. trimmed its holdings in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 35.3% in the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 7,880 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 4,293 shares during the period. Wright Investors Service Inc.’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $1,064,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of VLO. EdgeRock Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of Valero Energy during the 2nd quarter valued at $27,000. Lynx Investment Advisory purchased a new position in Valero Energy during the second quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Summit Securities Group LLC bought a new stake in Valero Energy during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $31,000. Rise Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Valero Energy in the 1st quarter worth approximately $33,000. Finally, Pathway Financial Advisers LLC purchased a new position in shares of Valero Energy during the 1st quarter valued at $33,000. Institutional investors own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

VLO has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Piper Sandler downgraded Valero Energy from an “overweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and lowered their price objective for the stock from $169.00 to $123.00 in a research report on Friday, September 20th. BMO Capital Markets dropped their price target on Valero Energy from $175.00 to $165.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday. The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $149.00 to $131.00 and set a “sell” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, September 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $172.00 to $151.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday. Finally, Barclays reduced their target price on Valero Energy from $165.00 to $146.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $165.20.

Valero Energy Stock Down 1.1 %

VLO traded down $1.61 on Friday, hitting $142.42. The company had a trading volume of 2,916,899 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,028,215. Valero Energy Co. has a 52-week low of $119.88 and a 52-week high of $184.79. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $142.67 and a 200-day simple moving average of $153.79. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a current ratio of 1.48 and a quick ratio of 1.04. The firm has a market capitalization of $46.57 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.05, a P/E/G ratio of 3.35 and a beta of 1.39.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last issued its quarterly 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 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 analysts’ expectations of $32.97 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $5.40 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down .1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts expect that Valero Energy Co. will post 10.13 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Announces Dividend

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 3.01%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, August 1st. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) 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.