Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) Stake Reduced by Centaurus Financial Inc.

Centaurus Financial Inc. trimmed its stake in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 20.2% during the third quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 2,848 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 720 shares during the quarter. Centaurus Financial Inc.’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $385,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. International Assets Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in Valero Energy by 11,318.9% during the 3rd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 1,076,349 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $145,339,000 after purchasing an additional 1,066,923 shares during the period. Pacer Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in Valero Energy by 18.8% in the 3rd quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 3,585,166 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $484,105,000 after buying an additional 567,059 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its position 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 acquiring an additional 237,347 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC raised its stake 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 valued at $238,841,000 after acquiring an additional 232,494 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Westwood Holdings Group Inc. acquired a new position in Valero Energy during the 1st quarter worth $39,517,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently commented on VLO. Citigroup lowered their price target on Valero Energy from $192.00 to $176.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, October 25th. Barclays dropped their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $146.00 to $140.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, November 11th. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $149.00 to $131.00 and set a “sell” rating for the company in a report on Monday, September 16th. Mizuho dropped their target price on Valero Energy from $175.00 to $171.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, September 16th. Finally, Bank of America initiated coverage on Valero Energy in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $150.00 price target for the company. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $155.86.

Valero Energy Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE VLO opened at $139.82 on Wednesday. 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 12 month low of $120.21 and a 12 month high of $184.79. The company has a market cap of $44.26 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.54, a P/E/G ratio of 2.63 and a beta of 1.39. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $136.79 and a 200-day simple moving average of $145.56.

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

Valero Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 20th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, November 20th will be paid a dividend of $1.07 per share. This represents a $4.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.06%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, November 20th. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 38.39%.

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.