Vanguard Group Inc. Sells 542,106 Shares of Valero Energy Corporation $VLO

Vanguard Group Inc. decreased its stake in Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO) by 1.4% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 38,339,116 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 542,106 shares during the quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. owned about 12.34% of Valero Energy worth $5,153,544,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLC raised its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 15.3% during the second quarter. Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLC now owns 2,388 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $321,000 after acquiring an additional 317 shares in the last quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC increased its position in shares of Valero Energy by 10.5% during the second quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC now owns 6,959 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $935,000 after purchasing an additional 661 shares in the last quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 4.7% during the 2nd quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 151,451 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $20,358,000 after purchasing an additional 6,857 shares during the last quarter. Generali Investments Management Co LLC increased its position in Valero Energy by 3.7% during the 2nd quarter. Generali Investments Management Co LLC now owns 2,137 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $287,000 after buying an additional 76 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Westpac Banking Corp increased its position in Valero Energy by 3.4% during the 2nd quarter. Westpac Banking Corp now owns 2,521 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $339,000 after buying an additional 82 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Valero Energy Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE VLO opened at $180.23 on Thursday. Valero Energy Corporation has a 1 year low of $99.00 and a 1 year high of $185.62. 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 company has a market capitalization of $54.97 billion, a PE ratio of 37.63, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.77 and a beta of 1.01. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $168.09 and its 200 day moving average price is $148.96.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 23rd. The oil and gas company reported $3.66 earnings per share 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 analysts’ expectations of $28.80 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.14 EPS. Valero Energy’s quarterly revenue was down 2.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts predict that Valero Energy Corporation will post 7.92 earnings per share for the current year.

Valero Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, November 20th. This represents a $4.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.5%. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 94.36%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on VLO. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on Valero Energy from $216.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, November 10th. Raymond James Financial reaffirmed a “strong-buy” rating and set a $195.00 price target (up previously from $181.00) on shares of Valero Energy in a research report on Friday, October 24th. UBS Group reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $183.00 price objective on shares of Valero Energy in a report on Friday, October 24th. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their target price on Valero Energy from $181.00 to $194.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, October 10th. Finally, Piper Sandler increased their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $201.00 to $223.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, November 14th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $182.00.

About Valero Energy

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.