Shell Asset Management Co. Sells 9,788 Shares of Valero Energy Corporation $VLO

Shell Asset Management Co. lowered its position in Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO) by 77.8% in the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 2,799 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 9,788 shares during the quarter. Shell Asset Management Co.’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $477,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of VLO. Highline Wealth Partners LLC grew its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 70.2% during the 3rd quarter. Highline Wealth Partners LLC now owns 160 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 66 shares during the period. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates purchased a new position in shares of Valero Energy in the third quarter worth approximately $34,000. Cypress Capital Management LLC WY bought a new stake in Valero Energy during the third quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in Valero Energy by 145.3% during the third quarter. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 211 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $36,000 after buying an additional 125 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Hantz Financial Services Inc. raised its position in Valero Energy by 1,277.8% in the second quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 248 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 230 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on VLO shares. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Valero Energy in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Bank of America reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $195.00 target price (down from $198.00) on shares of Valero Energy in a report on Thursday, December 11th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on Valero Energy from $216.00 to $220.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, November 10th. Wall Street Zen raised Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, February 7th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on Valero Energy from $197.00 to $200.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating and ten have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Valero Energy presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $187.67.

Valero Energy Price Performance

Shares of Valero Energy stock opened at $197.16 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $60.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.81, a PEG ratio of 1.04 and a beta of 0.77. The company has a quick ratio of 1.09, a current ratio of 1.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $180.39 and its 200-day simple moving average is $168.47. Valero Energy Corporation has a 52 week low of $99.00 and a 52 week high of $206.77.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last released its earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The oil and gas company reported $3.82 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.27 by $0.55. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 12.34% and a net margin of 1.91%.The firm had revenue of $30.37 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $28.20 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.64 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was down 1.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts expect that Valero Energy Corporation will post 7.92 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 9th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, February 5th will be given a dividend of $1.20 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, February 5th. This is an increase from Valero Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.13. This represents a $4.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.4%. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 62.83%.

Insider Activity at Valero Energy

In related news, CFO Jason W. Fraser sold 9,933 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, November 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $174.02, for a total transaction of $1,728,540.66. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 134,196 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $23,352,787.92. This trade represents a 6.89% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Company insiders own 0.37% of the company’s stock.

Valero Energy Profile

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.