Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) Shares Sold by Ascent Group LLC

Ascent Group LLC trimmed its holdings in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 4.6% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 4,517 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 218 shares during the period. Ascent Group LLC’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $610,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Valero Energy in the 2nd quarter worth about $15,945,000. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC lifted its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 1.8% in the 3rd quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 1,293,589 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $174,673,000 after purchasing an additional 22,571 shares in the last quarter. 180 Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Valero Energy in the 2nd quarter valued at about $535,000. Captrust Financial Advisors lifted its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 7.5% in the 3rd quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 89,762 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $12,121,000 after purchasing an additional 6,278 shares in the last quarter. Finally, 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 in the last quarter. 78.69% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Valero Energy Price Performance

VLO stock opened at $134.07 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.11, a current ratio of 1.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. Valero Energy Co. has a 52-week low of $120.21 and a 52-week high of $184.79. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $137.14 and its two-hundred day moving average is $144.78. The company has a market capitalization of $42.44 billion, a PE ratio of 12.02, a P/E/G ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 1.39.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The oil and gas company reported $1.14 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.98 by $0.16. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 13.07% and a net margin of 2.74%. The business had revenue of $32.88 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $31.04 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $7.49 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 14.4% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts predict that Valero Energy Co. will post 8.92 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Dividend Announcement

The company 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 $1.07 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, November 20th. This represents a $4.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.19%. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 38.39%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have recently weighed in on VLO. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on Valero Energy from $172.00 to $151.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, October 2nd. Scotiabank reduced their price objective on Valero Energy from $173.00 to $141.00 and set a “sector outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, October 10th. Bank of America started coverage on Valero Energy in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $150.00 price target on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their price target on Valero Energy from $149.00 to $131.00 and set a “sell” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, September 16th. Finally, TD Cowen reduced their price target on Valero Energy from $145.00 to $140.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, October 25th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $155.86.

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.