Voloridge Investment Management LLC Sells 74,550 Shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Voloridge Investment Management LLC lessened its stake in shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 12.2% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 536,837 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 74,550 shares during the quarter. Voloridge Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $65,811,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Valero Energy by 16.1% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 34,725,700 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $4,257,024,000 after buying an additional 4,805,133 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its position in Valero Energy by 4.0% in the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 10,701,232 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $1,311,864,000 after purchasing an additional 413,963 shares during the last quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. raised its position in Valero Energy by 5.7% in the 4th quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 7,938,335 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $973,119,000 after purchasing an additional 429,252 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in Valero Energy by 1.5% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 6,871,229 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $844,775,000 after purchasing an additional 100,248 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank bought a new position in Valero Energy in the 4th quarter valued at $669,400,000. Institutional investors own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Valero Energy Trading Down 1.6%

VLO stock opened at $132.20 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $41.41 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.59, a PEG ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 0.98. Valero Energy Co. has a twelve month low of $99.00 and a twelve month high of $167.78. The company has a quick ratio of 1.11, a current ratio of 1.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. The business has a fifty day moving average of $121.39 and a 200-day moving average of $128.63.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 24th. The oil and gas company reported $0.89 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.16 by ($0.27). Valero Energy had a return on equity of 9.58% and a net margin of 2.13%. The company had revenue of $28.76 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $28.54 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $3.82 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 4.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Valero Energy Co. will post 7.92 EPS for the current year.

Valero Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 18th. Investors of record on Tuesday, May 20th will be paid a dividend of $1.13 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, May 20th. This represents a $4.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.42%. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 159.72%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

VLO has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Piper Sandler cut their price objective on Valero Energy from $144.00 to $140.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, May 9th. TD Cowen cut their price objective on Valero Energy from $121.00 to $118.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 25th. Scotiabank cut their price objective on Valero Energy from $156.00 to $136.00 and set a “sector outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 11th. The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded Valero Energy from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $127.00 to $154.00 in a research report on Tuesday, May 13th. Finally, Raymond James cut their price objective on Valero Energy from $165.00 to $155.00 and set a “strong-buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $151.93.

Valero Energy 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.