Valero Energy Corporation $VLO Shares Sold by Stevens Capital Management LP

Stevens Capital Management LP reduced its stake in Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO) by 17.5% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 3,034 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 644 shares during the quarter. Stevens Capital Management LP’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $408,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Rhumbline Advisers lifted its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 0.4% during the second quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 632,721 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $85,050,000 after purchasing an additional 2,359 shares during the period. Mufg Securities Americas Inc. raised its position in Valero Energy by 23.9% during the 2nd quarter. Mufg Securities Americas Inc. now owns 6,941 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $933,000 after buying an additional 1,337 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 3.0% in the 2nd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 5,024,322 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $675,369,000 after acquiring an additional 148,195 shares during the period. Archer Investment Corp boosted its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 192.5% in the second quarter. Archer Investment Corp now owns 2,735 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $368,000 after acquiring an additional 1,800 shares in the last quarter. Finally, MAI Capital Management increased its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 3.3% during the second quarter. MAI Capital Management now owns 8,003 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $1,076,000 after acquiring an additional 252 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Valero Energy Trading Up 1.5%

NYSE:VLO opened at $173.46 on Friday. Valero Energy Corporation has a 52-week low of $99.00 and a 52-week high of $185.62. The company has a quick ratio of 1.09, a current ratio of 1.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $168.69 and a 200-day simple moving average of $149.71. The company has a market capitalization of $52.91 billion, a PE ratio of 36.21, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.77 and a beta of 1.01.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 23rd. The oil and gas company reported $3.66 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.15 by $0.51. The firm had revenue of $32.17 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $28.80 billion. Valero Energy had a net margin of 1.21% and a return on equity of 8.69%. The firm’s revenue was down 2.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.14 EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that Valero Energy Corporation will post 7.92 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 18th. Investors of record on Thursday, November 20th will be given a dividend of $1.13 per share. This represents a $4.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.6%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 20th. Valero Energy’s payout ratio is currently 94.36%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

VLO has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Erste Group Bank started coverage on Valero Energy in a research report on Monday, November 10th. They set a “buy” rating on the stock. UBS Group reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $183.00 target price on shares of Valero Energy in a report on Friday, October 24th. Mizuho boosted their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $166.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, September 15th. Evercore ISI increased their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $135.00 to $185.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a report on Friday, September 19th. Finally, Raymond James Financial reissued a “strong-buy” rating and set a $195.00 price objective (up previously from $181.00) on shares of Valero Energy in a report on Friday, October 24th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Valero Energy has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $182.00.

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.