Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) Shares Sold by Ensign Peak Advisors Inc

Ensign Peak Advisors Inc trimmed its position in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 4.4% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 417,355 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 19,358 shares during the quarter. Ensign Peak Advisors Inc owned about 0.13% of Valero Energy worth $51,164,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in VLO. Family Management Corp lifted its holdings in Valero Energy by 61.3% in the fourth quarter. Family Management Corp now owns 23,489 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $2,880,000 after acquiring an additional 8,930 shares during the last quarter. Deutsche Bank AG raised its position in Valero Energy by 23.6% in the fourth quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 1,450,479 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $177,814,000 after purchasing an additional 277,092 shares during the period. EP Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 2.4% in the 4th quarter. EP Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 186,085 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $22,812,000 after purchasing an additional 4,365 shares during the last quarter. Corigliano Investment Advisers LLC purchased a new position in shares of Valero Energy during the 4th quarter worth $8,336,000. Finally, Cornerstone Select Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Valero Energy during the 4th quarter worth about $1,249,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Valero Energy Trading Up 1.0 %

Shares of NYSE:VLO opened at $122.97 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $38.51 billion, a PE ratio of 14.50, a P/E/G ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 0.98. The company’s 50 day moving average is $120.15 and its two-hundred day moving average is $128.47. Valero Energy Co. has a 52 week low of $99.00 and a 52 week high of $167.78. The company has a current ratio of 1.57, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The oil and gas company reported $0.89 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.16 by ($0.27). The business had revenue of $28.76 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $28.54 billion. Valero Energy had a net margin of 2.13% and a return on equity of 9.58%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 4.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $3.82 earnings per share. Equities analysts predict that Valero Energy Co. will post 7.92 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 18th. Investors of record on Tuesday, May 20th will be paid a dividend of $1.13 per share. This represents a $4.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.68%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, May 20th. Valero Energy’s payout ratio is 159.72%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Piper Sandler lowered their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $144.00 to $140.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $160.00 to $159.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Morgan Stanley cut their target price on Valero Energy from $160.00 to $145.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded Valero Energy from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and raised their price target for the stock from $115.00 to $127.00 in a research report on Monday, April 28th. Finally, UBS Group cut their price objective on Valero Energy from $160.00 to $150.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 28th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $149.53.

About Valero Energy

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.