Strs Ohio Lowers Stake in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Strs Ohio reduced its holdings in shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 3.4% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 164,665 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 5,883 shares during the period. Strs Ohio’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $21,406,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Valero Energy during the 3rd quarter valued at about $28,000. Indiana Trust & Investment Management CO bought a new stake in shares of Valero Energy in the third quarter worth approximately $28,000. BKM Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Valero Energy in the fourth quarter worth approximately $26,000. Live Oak Investment Partners bought a new stake in shares of Valero Energy in the fourth quarter worth approximately $26,000. Finally, Quarry LP grew its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 1,676.9% in the first quarter. Quarry LP now owns 231 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 218 shares during the period. 78.69% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently commented on the stock. TD Cowen lifted their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $175.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, April 8th. UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $167.00 to $197.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 26th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $177.00 to $178.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, April 1st. Mizuho lowered shares of Valero Energy from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and boosted their target price for the company from $150.00 to $173.00 in a research report on Friday, March 22nd. Finally, Raymond James boosted their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $154.00 to $155.00 and gave the company a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 26th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $172.40.

Valero Energy Trading Down 1.7 %

VLO stock opened at $170.67 on Tuesday. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $156.56 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $138.56. The company has a quick ratio of 1.11, a current ratio of 1.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. The stock has a market capitalization of $56.74 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 6.90, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.68 and a beta of 1.54. Valero Energy Co. has a twelve month low of $104.18 and a twelve month high of $184.79.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, January 25th. The oil and gas company reported $3.55 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.95 by $0.60. The company had revenue of $35.41 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $34.76 billion. Valero Energy had a net margin of 6.10% and a return on equity of 31.62%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 15.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $8.45 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that Valero Energy Co. will post 17.25 earnings per share for the current year.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 4th. Investors of record on Thursday, February 1st were given a $1.07 dividend. This is a positive change from Valero Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.02. This represents a $4.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.51%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, January 31st. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 17.31%.

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.