Valero Energy Corporation $VLO Position Lessened by Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC

Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC trimmed its position in Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO) by 12.6% in the third quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 23,930 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 3,461 shares during the period. Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $9,276,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of VLO. Blue Zone Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Valero Energy by 2.4% during the third quarter. Blue Zone Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,027 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $398,000 after buying an additional 24 shares in the last quarter. Grove Bank & Trust raised its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 1.0% in the 3rd quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 2,608 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $1,011,000 after buying an additional 25 shares in the last quarter. 180 Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 0.5% during the 3rd quarter. 180 Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 5,317 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $2,061,000 after acquiring an additional 28 shares during the period. Sigma Planning Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 0.4% during the 3rd quarter. Sigma Planning Corp now owns 7,171 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $2,779,000 after acquiring an additional 29 shares during the period. Finally, Modera Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Valero Energy by 3.7% during the 3rd quarter. Modera Wealth Management LLC now owns 956 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $370,000 after acquiring an additional 34 shares in the last quarter. 78.69% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently weighed in on VLO shares. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $485.00 to $489.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, October 23rd. Erste Group Bank cut shares of Valero Energy from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 27th. Freedom Broker downgraded Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating and set a $276.00 price objective on the stock. in a report on Friday, October 23rd. TD Cowen upped their price objective on Valero Energy from $375.00 to $400.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 22nd. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 4th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $406.32.

Key Headlines Impacting Valero Energy

Here are the key news stories impacting Valero Energy this week:

• Positive Sentiment: A recent analysis cited Valero’s access to lower-cost heavy crude, strong refining margins, balance sheet and valuation as reasons it may remain attractive. Valero Energy Surges 113% YTD: Should Investors Bet on the Momentum?
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks included VLO in its Strong Buy growth-stock selections, adding to the bullish analyst coverage from the prior day. Best Growth Stocks to Buy for November 9th
• Positive Sentiment: Another Zacks article named Valero among five growth stocks to consider, supporting the view that its refining performance could continue to benefit investors. Buy 5 Growth Stocks to Enhance Your Portfolio Returns in November
• Negative Sentiment: Cramer said Valero’s two-year refining-cycle rally may have run its course and advised shareholders to take profits before margins normalize further. This is an opinion-based sell call, not a change in the company’s reported fundamentals, but it may add near-term pressure to the stock. Cramer Recommends Selling Valero Energy Stock

Valero Energy Stock Down 1.8%

Shares of NYSE VLO opened at $350.17 on Wednesday. Valero Energy Corporation has a 52-week low of $159.90 and a 52-week high of $461.52. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 1.33 and a current ratio of 1.72. The business has a fifty day moving average of $399.49 and a two-hundred day moving average of $291.27. The stock has a market cap of $97.66 billion, a PE ratio of 7.88, a PEG ratio of 0.18 and a beta of 0.58.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, October 22nd. The oil and gas company reported $23.90 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $21.17 by $2.73. The business had revenue of $46.10 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $42.71 billion. Valero Energy had a net margin of 8.44% and a return on equity of 45.90%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 43.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $3.66 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Valero Energy Corporation will post 57.83 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 21st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, November 24th will be given a $1.20 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, November 24th. This represents a $4.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.4%. Valero Energy’s payout ratio is 10.80%.

Valero Energy Profile

Valero Energy Corporation is an international refiner and producer of transportation fuels and other petroleum products, headquartered in San Antonio, Texas. Its refining business processes crude oil and other feedstocks into products such as gasoline, diesel, jet fuel, asphalt and petrochemical feedstocks. The company markets and distributes fuels to wholesale customers and through branded distribution networks. Its refining operations span the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom, with products serving customers in North America and other markets.