Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) Shares Sold by Country Trust Bank

Country Trust Bank lowered its stake in shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 0.4% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 216,661 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 944 shares during the quarter. Country Trust Bank owned about 0.07% of Valero Energy worth $29,256,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Acadian Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 37.6% in the first quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 1,558,750 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $266,040,000 after purchasing an additional 426,093 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its stake in Valero Energy by 5.8% in the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 4,319,436 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $677,007,000 after buying an additional 237,347 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC raised its position in Valero Energy by 17.6% during the 2nd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 1,550,010 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $238,841,000 after buying an additional 232,494 shares during the last quarter. Westwood Holdings Group Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Valero Energy in the 1st quarter worth $39,517,000. Finally, Hsbc Holdings PLC lifted its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 20.5% in the 2nd quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 1,145,117 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $179,490,000 after acquiring an additional 194,974 shares during the period. 78.69% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Valero Energy Price Performance

VLO stock opened at $136.34 on Wednesday. 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 stock’s 50 day moving average price is $142.41 and its 200 day moving average price is $153.49. The firm has a market cap of $44.58 billion, a P/E ratio of 6.85, a PEG ratio of 3.62 and a beta of 1.39. Valero Energy Co. has a 1 year low of $119.88 and a 1 year high of $184.79.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 25th. The oil and gas company reported $2.71 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 business had revenue of $34.49 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $32.97 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $5.40 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down .1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Valero Energy Co. will post 9.85 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Dividend Announcement

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts recently issued reports on VLO shares. BMO Capital Markets cut their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $175.00 to $165.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, October 4th. Barclays reduced their price target on Valero Energy from $165.00 to $146.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, October 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on Valero Energy from $165.00 to $172.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, September 3rd. Wolfe Research began coverage on shares of Valero Energy in a research report on Thursday, July 18th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $177.00 target price on the stock. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $172.00 to $151.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, October 2nd. One equities research 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’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Valero Energy has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $165.20.

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.