Valero Energy Corporation $VLO Shares Sold by Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd

Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd decreased its holdings in shares of Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO) by 4.2% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 46,821 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 2,062 shares during the period. Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $7,622,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. JPL Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Valero Energy during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Torren Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Valero Energy during the fourth quarter valued at $30,000. Cypress Capital Management LLC WY purchased a new position in Valero Energy in the 3rd quarter worth $34,000. Triumph Capital Management acquired a new stake in Valero Energy during the 3rd quarter worth about $35,000. Finally, Accordant Advisory Group Inc grew its stake in Valero Energy by 194.4% during the 4th quarter. Accordant Advisory Group Inc now owns 212 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 140 shares during the last quarter. 78.69% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Valero Energy 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 transaction of $95,440.00. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.36% of the company’s stock.

Valero Energy Price Performance

Valero Energy stock opened at $243.87 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $72.41 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.72, a P/E/G ratio of 0.34 and a beta of 0.58. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $237.94 and its 200 day moving average price is $200.82. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a current ratio of 1.58. Valero Energy Corporation has a 1 year low of $125.10 and a 1 year high of $258.43.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The oil and gas company reported $4.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.16 by $1.06. Valero Energy had a net margin of 3.37% and a return on equity of 15.94%. The business had revenue of $32.38 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $31.38 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.89 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 7.0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Valero Energy Corporation will post 28.02 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 23rd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 21st will be paid a dividend of $1.20 per share. This represents a $4.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.0%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 21st. Valero Energy’s payout ratio is 34.88%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on the company. Piper Sandler lifted their target price on Valero Energy from $236.00 to $263.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 8th. BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $230.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, April 6th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $203.00 to $237.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 12th. Argus raised shares of Valero Energy to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Valero Energy from a “hold (c)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $237.94.

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.