Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd Sells 7,456 Shares of Valero Energy Corporation $VLO

Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd decreased its position in shares of Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO) by 60.6% during the 2nd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 4,846 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 7,456 shares during the quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $1,262,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of VLO. Investment Research Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Valero Energy in the 2nd quarter valued at $273,000. 71 West Capital Partners raised its position in shares of Valero Energy by 47.3% during the second quarter. 71 West Capital Partners now owns 3,144 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $819,000 after acquiring an additional 1,010 shares during the last quarter. McAdam LLC acquired a new position in shares of Valero Energy during the second quarter valued at $294,000. Transcend Capital Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 58.5% during the second quarter. Transcend Capital Advisors LLC now owns 2,484 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $647,000 after acquiring an additional 917 shares during the period. Finally, SYM FINANCIAL Corp boosted its holdings in Valero Energy by 10.7% in the second quarter. SYM FINANCIAL Corp now owns 2,665 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $694,000 after acquiring an additional 258 shares during the last quarter. 78.69% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts recently commented on the company. Weiss Ratings upgraded Valero Energy from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 6th. UBS Group upped their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $280.00 to $355.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, July 31st. Jefferies Financial Group set a $350.00 target price on shares of Valero Energy in a research note on Monday, August 3rd. Raymond James Financial lifted their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $300.00 to $340.00 and gave the stock a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, July 13th. Finally, Citigroup boosted their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $259.00 to $302.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 14th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $288.00.

Valero Energy Stock Down 0.5%

Shares of Valero Energy stock opened at $341.36 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.23, a current ratio of 1.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37. Valero Energy Corporation has a 12 month low of $135.01 and a 12 month high of $346.09. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $283.92 and a 200 day simple moving average of $247.97. The stock has a market cap of $98.29 billion, a PE ratio of 14.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.23 and a beta of 0.55.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 30th. The oil and gas company reported $12.54 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $10.11 by $2.43. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 26.74% and a net margin of 5.17%.The business had revenue of $44.48 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $39.47 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.28 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 48.8% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts predict that Valero Energy Corporation will post 40.62 EPS for the current year.

Valero Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, July 31st will be paid a $1.20 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, July 31st. This represents a $4.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.4%. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio is 19.92%.

Insider Activity at Valero Energy

In related news, SVP Eric A. Fisher sold 7,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $268.17, for a total value of $2,011,275.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 19,742 shares in the company, valued at $5,294,212.14. This trade represents a 27.53% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 0.36% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.