Valero Energy Corporation $VLO Shares Sold by Lido Advisors LLC

Lido Advisors LLC lessened its position in shares of Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO) by 1.8% in the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 89,085 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 1,632 shares during the period. Lido Advisors LLC’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $34,531,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of VLO. Bank of America Corp DE grew its holdings in Valero Energy by 11.4% during the 1st quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 5,033,310 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $1,243,630,000 after acquiring an additional 516,975 shares during the period. Bank of New York Mellon Corp raised its position in shares of Valero Energy by 9.4% in the 1st quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 2,969,320 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $733,660,000 after acquiring an additional 254,604 shares in the last quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership raised its position in shares of Valero Energy by 18.4% in the 1st quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 2,842,339 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $702,285,000 after acquiring an additional 442,177 shares in the last quarter. Amundi lifted its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 45.3% in the 1st quarter. Amundi now owns 2,584,976 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $638,695,000 after purchasing an additional 806,018 shares during the period. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC lifted its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 33.9% in the 2nd quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 2,058,341 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $536,074,000 after purchasing an additional 520,642 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Valero Energy

Here are the key news stories impacting Valero Energy this week:

• Positive Sentiment: A recent analysis cited Valero’s access to lower-cost heavy crude, strong refining margins, balance sheet and valuation as reasons it may remain attractive. Valero Energy Surges 113% YTD: Should Investors Bet on the Momentum?
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks included VLO in its Strong Buy growth-stock selections, adding to the bullish analyst coverage from the prior day. Best Growth Stocks to Buy for November 9th
• Positive Sentiment: Another Zacks article named Valero among five growth stocks to consider, supporting the view that its refining performance could continue to benefit investors. Buy 5 Growth Stocks to Enhance Your Portfolio Returns in November
• Negative Sentiment: Cramer said Valero’s two-year refining-cycle rally may have run its course and advised shareholders to take profits before margins normalize further. This is an opinion-based sell call, not a change in the company’s reported fundamentals, but it may add near-term pressure to the stock. Cramer Recommends Selling Valero Energy Stock

Valero Energy Trading Down 1.8%

VLO opened at $350.17 on Wednesday. Valero Energy Corporation has a 1-year low of $159.90 and a 1-year high of $461.52. The company has a current ratio of 1.72, a quick ratio of 1.33 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. The company has a market cap of $97.66 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.88, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.18 and a beta of 0.58. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $399.49 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $291.27.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 22nd. The oil and gas company reported $23.90 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $21.17 by $2.73. The firm had revenue of $46.10 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $42.71 billion. Valero Energy had a net margin of 8.44% and a return on equity of 45.90%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 43.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $3.66 earnings per share. Analysts predict that Valero Energy Corporation will post 57.83 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 21st. Investors of record on Tuesday, November 24th will be given a $1.20 dividend. This represents a $4.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, November 24th. Valero Energy’s payout ratio is presently 10.80%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

VLO has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Freedom Broker lowered Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating and set a $276.00 target price on the stock. in a research report on Friday, October 23rd. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on Valero Energy from $485.00 to $489.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, October 23rd. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on Valero Energy from $411.00 to $420.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, November 2nd. Jefferies Financial Group cut their price target on Valero Energy from $401.00 to $394.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, October 8th. Finally, Zacks Research raised shares of Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 4th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating, eight have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Valero Energy currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $406.32.

Valero Energy Profile

Valero Energy Corporation is an international refiner and producer of transportation fuels and other petroleum products, headquartered in San Antonio, Texas. Its refining business processes crude oil and other feedstocks into products such as gasoline, diesel, jet fuel, asphalt and petrochemical feedstocks. The company markets and distributes fuels to wholesale customers and through branded distribution networks. Its refining operations span the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom, with products serving customers in North America and other markets.