Semanteon Capital Management LP Sells 6,494 Shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Semanteon Capital Management LP decreased its position in shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 79.8% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,641 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 6,494 shares during the quarter. Semanteon Capital Management LP’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $201,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of VLO. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its stake in 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 worth $384,907,000 after acquiring an additional 2,793,607 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in Valero Energy during the 4th quarter worth approximately $132,469,000. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund raised its holdings in Valero Energy by 900.2% during the 3rd quarter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund now owns 631,095 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $85,217,000 after buying an additional 568,000 shares during the period. Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Valero Energy during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $70,352,000. Finally, Pacer Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in Valero Energy by 13.6% during the 4th quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 4,072,188 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $499,210,000 after buying an additional 487,022 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Valero Energy Price Performance

Shares of VLO opened at $131.42 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $41.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.50, a PEG ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 1.36. Valero Energy Co. has a 1-year low of $116.84 and a 1-year high of $184.79. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $133.96 and its 200 day simple moving average is $133.43. The company has a current ratio of 1.57, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The oil and gas company reported $0.64 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.14 by $0.50. Valero Energy had a net margin of 2.13% and a return on equity of 9.58%. On average, research analysts forecast that Valero Energy Co. will post 7.92 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 3rd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, January 30th were given a dividend of $1.13 per share. This represents a $4.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.44%. This is a boost from Valero Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.07. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, January 30th. Valero Energy’s payout ratio is 53.30%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have commented on VLO. Piper Sandler dropped their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $149.00 to $144.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, March 7th. Mizuho dropped their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $165.00 to $158.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $160.00 to $159.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Tudor Pickering upgraded shares of Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Valero Energy presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $156.08.

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.