Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) Shares Sold by Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton

Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton trimmed its position in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 2.3% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 4,588 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 110 shares during the quarter. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $562,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its position in Valero Energy by 0.5% during the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 10,287,269 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $1,389,090,000 after buying an additional 50,837 shares in the last quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 2.8% during the 2nd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 6,956,743 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $1,090,532,000 after acquiring an additional 192,397 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its position in Valero Energy by 5.6% during the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 4,687,585 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $639,268,000 after purchasing an additional 247,630 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its holdings in Valero Energy by 5.8% in the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 4,319,436 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $677,007,000 after purchasing an additional 237,347 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Pacer Advisors Inc. raised its position in Valero Energy by 18.8% in the third quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 3,585,166 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $484,105,000 after purchasing an additional 567,059 shares during the period. 78.69% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on VLO shares. Scotiabank decreased their target price on Valero Energy from $173.00 to $141.00 and set a “sector outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, October 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on Valero Energy from $172.00 to $151.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, October 2nd. Bank of America began coverage on shares of Valero Energy in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $150.00 price objective on the stock. Barclays lowered their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $146.00 to $140.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, November 11th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group cut their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $149.00 to $131.00 and set a “sell” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, September 16th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Valero Energy presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $154.57.

Valero Energy Stock Performance

VLO stock opened at $133.49 on Tuesday. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $131.06 and its 200 day simple moving average is $138.75. Valero Energy Co. has a 12-month low of $116.84 and a 12-month high of $184.79. The firm has a market cap of $42.26 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.97, a P/E/G ratio of 2.43 and a beta of 1.42. The company has a current ratio of 1.57, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The oil and gas company reported $1.14 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.98 by $0.16. Valero Energy had a net margin of 2.74% and a return on equity of 13.07%. The company had revenue of $32.88 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $31.04 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $7.49 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was down 14.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Valero Energy Co. will post 8.86 EPS for the current year.

Valero Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 20th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, November 20th were paid a $1.07 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, November 20th. This represents a $4.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.21%. Valero Energy’s payout ratio is currently 38.39%.

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.