Custom Portfolio Group LLC Sells 96 Shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Custom Portfolio Group LLC trimmed its holdings in shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 4.4% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 2,092 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 96 shares during the period. Custom Portfolio Group LLC’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $328,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. Ameriprise Financial Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 2.8% in the 2nd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 6,956,743 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $1,090,532,000 after purchasing an additional 192,397 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its stake in Valero Energy by 5.8% in the second 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. Putnam Investments LLC boosted its holdings in Valero Energy by 3.7% during the fourth quarter. Putnam Investments LLC now owns 3,445,821 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $447,957,000 after buying an additional 122,207 shares during the last quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. grew its position in shares of Valero Energy by 1.9% during the 2nd quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 3,018,107 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $473,118,000 after buying an additional 56,989 shares during the period. Finally, Legal & General Group Plc increased its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 3.0% in the 2nd quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 2,809,355 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $440,394,000 after acquiring an additional 82,539 shares during the last quarter. 78.69% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Valero Energy Trading Down 0.7 %

Valero Energy stock opened at $135.03 on Tuesday. 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 50-day moving average of $143.73 and a 200-day moving average of $154.44. The company has a market cap of $44.15 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 6.69, a P/E/G ratio of 3.31 and a beta of 1.40. Valero Energy Co. has a one year low of $119.88 and a one year high of $184.79.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 25th. The oil and gas company reported $2.71 earnings per share (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 analysts’ expectations of $32.97 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $5.40 EPS. The business’s revenue was down .1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts expect that Valero Energy Co. will post 10.26 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 3rd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, August 1st were paid a $1.07 dividend. This represents a $4.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.17%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, August 1st. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 21.20%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on VLO shares. Mizuho decreased their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $175.00 to $171.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Monday, September 16th. The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their target price on Valero Energy from $149.00 to $131.00 and set a “sell” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, September 16th. StockNews.com downgraded Valero Energy from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 17th. Wolfe Research began coverage on Valero Energy in a report on Thursday, July 18th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $177.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Barclays decreased their price objective on Valero Energy from $171.00 to $165.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, July 9th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $168.07.

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.