Valero Energy Corporation $VLO Shares Sold by National Pension Service

National Pension Service reduced its position in shares of Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO) by 52.4% during the second quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 473,969 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 521,636 shares during the quarter. National Pension Service’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $63,711,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of VLO. Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC lifted its position in shares of Valero Energy by 18.5% during the 1st quarter. Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC now owns 22,402 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $2,959,000 after acquiring an additional 3,503 shares during the last quarter. Hancock Whitney Corp increased its position in shares of Valero Energy by 8.9% in the first quarter. Hancock Whitney Corp now owns 46,474 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $6,138,000 after acquiring an additional 3,790 shares in the last quarter. United Super Pty Ltd in its capacity as Trustee for the Construction & Building Unions Superannuation Fund acquired a new stake in shares of Valero Energy during the first quarter valued at approximately $766,000. FORA Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Valero Energy in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $866,000. Finally, Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. boosted its stake in Valero Energy by 11.2% in the 1st quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 560,495 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $74,025,000 after purchasing an additional 56,274 shares during the period. 78.69% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Valero Energy Trading Down 1.0%

Valero Energy stock opened at $175.68 on Friday. Valero Energy Corporation has a 52 week low of $99.00 and a 52 week high of $182.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a quick ratio of 1.09 and a current ratio of 1.60. The firm has a market capitalization of $53.58 billion, a PE ratio of 36.68, a PEG ratio of 1.77 and a beta of 1.01. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $166.25 and its 200-day simple moving average is $146.91.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 23rd. The oil and gas company reported $3.66 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.15 by $0.51. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 8.69% and a net margin of 1.21%.The company had revenue of $32.17 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $28.80 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.14 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 2.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts forecast that Valero Energy Corporation will post 7.92 earnings per share for the current year.

Valero Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 18th. Investors of record on Thursday, November 20th will be paid a $1.13 dividend. This represents a $4.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.6%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 20th. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 94.36%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on VLO shares. Jefferies Financial Group increased their target price on Valero Energy from $181.00 to $194.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, October 10th. Bank of America raised Valero Energy from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their target price for the company from $152.00 to $179.00 in a research note on Wednesday, September 3rd. Wall Street Zen upgraded Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Saturday, October 25th. Erste Group Bank began coverage on shares of Valero Energy in a research report on Monday. They set a “buy” rating on the stock. Finally, Morgan Stanley lowered Valero Energy from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and upped their target price for the stock from $160.00 to $175.00 in a research report on Friday, October 3rd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Valero Energy currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $179.53.

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.