Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) Stake Lessened by New York State Teachers Retirement System

New York State Teachers Retirement System decreased its position in shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 4.1% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 315,784 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 13,555 shares during the period. New York State Teachers Retirement System’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $42,640,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. International Assets Investment Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 11,318.9% in the 3rd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 1,076,349 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $145,339,000 after buying an additional 1,066,923 shares in the last quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC raised its position in Valero Energy by 37.6% in the first quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 1,558,750 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $266,040,000 after acquiring an additional 426,093 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted 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 acquiring an additional 237,347 shares during the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Valero Energy by 17.6% during the 2nd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 1,550,010 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $238,841,000 after purchasing an additional 232,494 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Westwood Holdings Group Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Valero Energy in the 1st quarter worth approximately $39,517,000. 78.69% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Valero Energy Stock Performance

VLO stock opened at $128.69 on Thursday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $137.31 and a 200 day simple moving average of $148.99. Valero Energy Co. has a 52 week low of $119.88 and a 52 week high of $184.79. The stock has a market cap of $41.23 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.54, a P/E/G ratio of 3.45 and a beta of 1.39. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a current ratio of 1.48.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last released its earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The oil and gas company reported $1.14 earnings per share (EPS) 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 13.01%. The company had revenue of $32.88 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $31.04 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $7.49 EPS. The company’s revenue was down 14.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts anticipate that Valero Energy Co. will post 9.6 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 20th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, November 20th will be paid a $1.07 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, November 20th. This represents a $4.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.33%. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 38.39%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently weighed in on VLO shares. BMO Capital Markets reduced their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $175.00 to $165.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, October 4th. TD Cowen reduced their price objective on Valero Energy from $145.00 to $140.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Mizuho cut their target price on Valero Energy from $175.00 to $171.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, September 16th. Citigroup reduced their target price on Valero Energy from $192.00 to $176.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, October 25th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their price target on Valero Energy from $149.00 to $131.00 and set a “sell” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, September 16th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Valero Energy currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $156.29.

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.