Securian Asset Management Inc. Sells 6,693 Shares of Valero Energy Corporation $VLO

Securian Asset Management Inc. lowered its position in shares of Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO) by 44.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 8,293 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 6,693 shares during the period. Securian Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $1,350,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of VLO. Woodline Partners LP grew its position in Valero Energy by 40.7% during the 1st quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 26,747 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $3,532,000 after acquiring an additional 7,735 shares during the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC grew its position in shares of Valero Energy by 13.0% in the 2nd quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 1,929 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $259,000 after buying an additional 222 shares during the last quarter. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL bought a new stake in shares of Valero Energy in the 2nd quarter valued at about $528,000. Sei Investments Co. grew its position in shares of Valero Energy by 11.3% in the 2nd quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 269,043 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $36,165,000 after buying an additional 27,291 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Treasurer of the State of North Carolina grew its position in shares of Valero Energy by 0.9% in the 2nd quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 145,810 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $19,600,000 after buying an additional 1,338 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, SVP Eric A. Fisher sold 8,311 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $227.69, for a total transaction of $1,892,331.59. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 42,242 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $9,618,080.98. This represents a 16.44% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.36% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Valero Energy Stock Down 0.4%

Shares of NYSE:VLO opened at $247.14 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $73.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.96, a P/E/G ratio of 0.35 and a beta of 0.58. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a current ratio of 1.58 and a quick ratio of 1.15. The business’s 50-day moving average is $237.37 and its 200-day moving average is $200.32. Valero Energy Corporation has a 1 year low of $125.10 and a 1 year high of $258.43.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The oil and gas company reported $4.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.16 by $1.06. The company had revenue of $32.38 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $31.38 billion. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 15.94% and a net margin of 3.37%.The firm’s revenue was up 7.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.89 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Valero Energy Corporation will post 28.02 earnings per share for the current year.

Valero Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 23rd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 21st will be paid a $1.20 dividend. This represents a $4.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 21st. Valero Energy’s payout ratio is currently 34.88%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have commented on the company. BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on Valero Energy from $230.00 to $270.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, April 6th. Raymond James Financial upped their price target on Valero Energy from $215.00 to $290.00 and gave the company a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 25th. Weiss Ratings upgraded Valero Energy from a “hold (c)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Monday, May 4th. Barclays upped their price target on Valero Energy from $184.00 to $261.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 8th. Finally, Argus upgraded Valero Energy to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Valero Energy currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $237.94.

About Valero Energy

Valero Energy Corporation is a San Antonio, Texas–based integrated downstream energy company that manufactures and markets transportation fuels, petrochemical feedstocks and other industrial products. The company’s operations focus on refining crude oil into finished fuels such as gasoline, diesel and jet fuel, as well as producing asphalt and other refined product streams for commercial and industrial customers.

In addition to refining, Valero has significant operations in renewable fuels, including the production of ethanol and other biofuels, and it manages an extensive logistics network of pipelines, terminals, rail and marine assets to move feedstocks and finished products.