Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) Shares Sold by Perpetual Ltd

Perpetual Ltd trimmed its position in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 61.9% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 2,853 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 4,626 shares during the period. Perpetual Ltd’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $350,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in VLO. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 0.5% during the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 10,287,269 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $1,389,090,000 after buying an additional 50,837 shares during the last quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. raised its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 2.8% during 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 buying an additional 192,397 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 5.6% during the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 4,687,585 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $639,268,000 after buying an additional 247,630 shares during the last quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. raised its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 18.8% during the 3rd quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 3,585,166 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $484,105,000 after buying an additional 567,059 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP raised its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 4,908.0% during the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 2,850,526 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $384,907,000 after buying an additional 2,793,607 shares during the last quarter. 78.69% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have weighed in on VLO. BMO Capital Markets reduced their price objective on Valero Energy from $175.00 to $165.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, October 4th. Barclays cut their price target on Valero Energy from $146.00 to $140.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, November 11th. Bank of America began coverage on Valero Energy in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $150.00 price target for the company. Mizuho cut their price target on Valero Energy from $165.00 to $158.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on Valero Energy from $165.00 to $160.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, December 9th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Valero Energy currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $154.57.

Valero Energy Trading Up 4.2 %

Shares of Valero Energy stock opened at $140.75 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $44.56 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.62, a P/E/G ratio of 2.90 and a beta of 1.42. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $131.27 and its 200-day simple moving average is $137.96. Valero Energy Co. has a 1-year low of $116.84 and a 1-year high of $184.79. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a current ratio of 1.57 and a quick ratio of 1.11.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 24th. The oil and gas company reported $1.14 EPS 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 firm had revenue of $32.88 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $31.04 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $7.49 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 14.4% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts predict that Valero Energy Co. will post 7.93 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 3rd. Investors of record on Thursday, January 30th will be issued a $1.13 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, January 30th. This is a boost from Valero Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.07. This represents a $4.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.21%. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio 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.