Kentucky Retirement Systems Lowers Stock Position in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Kentucky Retirement Systems trimmed its holdings in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 9.4% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 22,319 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 2,322 shares during the quarter. Kentucky Retirement Systems’ holdings in Valero Energy were worth $3,014,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. International Assets Investment Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 11,318.9% during the third quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 1,076,349 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $145,339,000 after purchasing an additional 1,066,923 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its stake in Valero Energy by 5.8% during the second 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 buying an additional 237,347 shares during the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in Valero Energy by 17.6% in the second quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 1,550,010 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $238,841,000 after acquiring an additional 232,494 shares in the last quarter. Westwood Holdings Group Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Valero Energy in the first quarter worth $39,517,000. Finally, Hsbc Holdings PLC increased its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 20.5% during the second quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 1,145,117 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $179,490,000 after acquiring an additional 194,974 shares in the last quarter. 78.69% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Valero Energy Trading Up 0.1 %

Valero Energy stock opened at $140.16 on Friday. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $135.83 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $146.42. Valero Energy Co. has a 52-week low of $120.21 and a 52-week high of $184.79. The company has a quick ratio of 1.11, a current ratio of 1.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. The company has a market cap of $44.37 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.57, a P/E/G ratio of 2.57 and a beta of 1.39.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The oil and gas company reported $1.14 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.98 by $0.16. Valero Energy had a net margin of 2.74% and a return on equity of 13.07%. The business had revenue of $32.88 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $31.04 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $7.49 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was down 14.4% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts predict that Valero Energy Co. will post 9.1 EPS for the current year.

Valero Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 20th. Investors of record on Wednesday, November 20th will be given a dividend of $1.07 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, November 20th. This represents a $4.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.05%. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 38.39%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

VLO has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. BMO Capital Markets cut their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $175.00 to $165.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, October 4th. TD Cowen cut their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $145.00 to $140.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, October 25th. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded shares of Valero Energy from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and decreased their price objective for the stock from $172.00 to $165.00 in a report on Wednesday, October 9th. Citigroup cut their target price on Valero Energy from $192.00 to $176.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Finally, Mizuho reduced their target price on Valero Energy from $175.00 to $171.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Monday, September 16th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $155.86.

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.