Private Portfolio Partners LLC Decreases Stake in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Private Portfolio Partners LLC decreased its position in shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 3.2% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 2,274 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 75 shares during the quarter. Private Portfolio Partners LLC’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $388,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 10.6% during the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 43,597 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $6,178,000 after buying an additional 4,184 shares during the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB increased its holdings in Valero Energy by 3.0% in the fourth quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 645,726 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $83,867,000 after buying an additional 18,575 shares during the last quarter. Gateway Investment Advisers LLC raised its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 86.1% during the fourth quarter. Gateway Investment Advisers LLC now owns 6,906 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $898,000 after purchasing an additional 3,195 shares during the period. Cornerstone Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 27.4% in the 4th quarter. Cornerstone Wealth Management LLC now owns 5,258 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $684,000 after purchasing an additional 1,130 shares during the last quarter. Finally, BKM Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Valero Energy during the fourth quarter worth approximately $26,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Valero Energy Price Performance

VLO traded up $0.55 on Friday, hitting $148.33. 1,550,053 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,079,517. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a current ratio of 1.59 and a quick ratio of 1.10. The firm has a market capitalization of $48.50 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.32, a PEG ratio of 1.68 and a beta of 1.42. The business has a 50-day moving average of $154.42 and a two-hundred day moving average of $152.12. Valero Energy Co. has a 12 month low of $119.09 and a 12 month high of $184.79.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The oil and gas company reported $3.82 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.18 by $0.64. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 24.82% and a net margin of 5.01%. The company had revenue of $31.76 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $32.02 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $8.27 EPS. Valero Energy’s revenue was down 12.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts forecast that Valero Energy Co. will post 14.9 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 3rd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, August 1st will be paid a dividend of $1.07 per share. This represents a $4.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.89%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 1st. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 21.20%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on VLO shares. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on Valero Energy from $179.00 to $156.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, July 12th. Mizuho raised Valero Energy from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $165.00 to $175.00 in a research note on Wednesday. Citigroup boosted their target price on Valero Energy from $160.00 to $192.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 18th. UBS Group increased their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $167.00 to $197.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 26th. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded Valero Energy from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating, twelve have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $170.75.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Kimberly S. Greene sold 720 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $158.12, for a total value of $113,846.40. Following the transaction, the director now owns 13,314 shares in the company, valued at $2,105,209.68. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.04% of the company’s stock.

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.