CX Institutional Lowers Holdings in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

CX Institutional trimmed its holdings in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 1.4% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 27,561 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 400 shares during the period. CX Institutional’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $3,583,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Miller Howard Investments Inc. NY grew its position in Valero Energy by 0.5% in the third quarter. Miller Howard Investments Inc. NY now owns 16,630 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $2,357,000 after acquiring an additional 79 shares during the period. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton lifted its stake in Valero Energy by 1.6% during the third quarter. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton now owns 5,146 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $729,000 after purchasing an additional 80 shares in the last quarter. First Trust Direct Indexing L.P. lifted its stake in Valero Energy by 0.8% during the third quarter. First Trust Direct Indexing L.P. now owns 10,000 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $1,417,000 after purchasing an additional 81 shares in the last quarter. McIlrath & Eck LLC raised its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 40.3% in the third quarter. McIlrath & Eck LLC now owns 303 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $43,000 after acquiring an additional 87 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Symphony Financial Ltd. Co. raised its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 1.0% in the third quarter. Symphony Financial Ltd. Co. now owns 9,425 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $1,301,000 after acquiring an additional 91 shares in the last quarter. 77.07% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Valero Energy Price Performance

Shares of Valero Energy stock traded down $1.34 during trading on Friday, hitting $169.64. 3,341,270 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,508,494. The company has a quick ratio of 1.11, a current ratio of 1.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. Valero Energy Co. has a fifty-two week low of $104.18 and a fifty-two week high of $171.85. The stock has a market capitalization of $56.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 6.86, a P/E/G ratio of 1.80 and a beta of 1.53. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $142.68 and a 200 day moving average price of $134.85.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 25th. The oil and gas company reported $3.55 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.95 by $0.60. The company had revenue of $35.41 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $34.76 billion. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 31.62% and a net margin of 6.10%. Valero Energy’s revenue was down 15.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $8.45 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that Valero Energy Co. will post 15.66 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 4th. Investors of record on Thursday, February 1st were issued a $1.07 dividend. This is an increase from Valero Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.02. This represents a $4.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.52%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, January 31st. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 17.31%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently commented on VLO. Barclays increased their target price on Valero Energy from $146.00 to $149.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, January 29th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price objective on Valero Energy from $130.00 to $171.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a report on Friday. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on Valero Energy from $138.00 to $171.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday. Citigroup assumed coverage on Valero Energy in a report on Wednesday, January 24th. They set a “buy” rating on the stock. Finally, Bank of America raised Valero Energy from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price target for the stock from $156.00 to $210.00 in a report on Friday, March 15th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Valero Energy presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $163.08.

Valero Energy Company 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.