Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO) Short Interest Up 14.5% in February

Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO) was the recipient of a significant growth in short interest in February. As of February 27th, there was short interest totaling 13,423,416 shares, a growth of 14.5% from the February 12th total of 11,723,504 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 2,214,917 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 6.1 days. Currently, 4.5% of the company’s shares are sold short. Currently, 4.5% of the company’s shares are sold short. Based on an average trading volume of 2,214,917 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 6.1 days.

Valero Energy Stock Up 1.2%

Valero Energy stock opened at $238.73 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.11, a current ratio of 1.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36. The firm has a market cap of $71.39 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.25, a P/E/G ratio of 1.21 and a beta of 0.70. The business has a fifty day moving average of $201.14 and a two-hundred day moving average of $179.60. Valero Energy has a twelve month low of $99.00 and a twelve month high of $242.56.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The oil and gas company reported $3.82 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.27 by $0.55. The business had revenue of $30.37 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $28.20 billion. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 12.35% and a net margin of 1.91%.The business’s revenue was down 1.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.64 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that Valero Energy will post 7.92 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 9th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, February 5th were paid a $1.20 dividend. This represents a $4.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.0%. This is a boost from Valero Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.13. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 5th. Valero Energy’s payout ratio is presently 62.83%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on VLO shares. Zacks Research cut Valero Energy from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. Bank of America reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $195.00 price target (down from $198.00) on shares of Valero Energy in a research report on Thursday, December 11th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, February 7th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on Valero Energy from $175.00 to $180.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 27th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Valero Energy in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating and ten have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $193.20.

Insider Activity

In related news, SVP Eric A. Fisher sold 400 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $238.60, for a total value of $95,440.00. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Insiders own 0.04% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Valero Energy

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 17.4% during the third quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 160,794 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $27,377,000 after acquiring an additional 23,859 shares in the last quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. raised its position in shares of Valero Energy by 15.7% in the 2nd quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 161,957 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $21,770,000 after purchasing an additional 21,997 shares during the last quarter. Rakuten Investment Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Valero Energy in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $4,534,000. Cerity Partners LLC grew its position in Valero Energy by 9.0% during the 3rd quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 104,859 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $17,853,000 after purchasing an additional 8,638 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Tema Etfs LLC purchased a new stake in Valero Energy during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $1,669,000. 78.69% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Valero Energy

Valero Energy Corporation is a San Antonio, Texas–based integrated downstream energy company that manufactures and markets transportation fuels, petrochemical feedstocks and other industrial products. The company’s operations focus on refining crude oil into finished fuels such as gasoline, diesel and jet fuel, as well as producing asphalt and other refined product streams for commercial and industrial customers.

In addition to refining, Valero has significant operations in renewable fuels, including the production of ethanol and other biofuels, and it manages an extensive logistics network of pipelines, terminals, rail and marine assets to move feedstocks and finished products.