Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) Shares Sold by Canada Pension Plan Investment Board

Canada Pension Plan Investment Board trimmed its position in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 31.3% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 234,059 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 106,516 shares during the period. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board owned 0.07% of Valero Energy worth $39,952,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Valero Energy in the 4th quarter valued at $570,428,000. Putnam Investments LLC raised its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 3.7% during the 4th quarter. Putnam Investments LLC now owns 3,445,821 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $447,957,000 after buying an additional 122,207 shares during the last quarter. Montrusco Bolton Investments Inc. raised its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 18.7% during the 4th quarter. Montrusco Bolton Investments Inc. now owns 2,389,654 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $310,655,000 after buying an additional 376,449 shares during the last quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 37.6% during the 1st quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 1,558,750 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $266,040,000 after buying an additional 426,093 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC raised its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 2.3% during the 1st quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 1,541,534 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $263,124,000 after buying an additional 35,043 shares during the last quarter. 78.69% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have weighed in on VLO. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on Valero Energy from $156.00 to $165.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday. TD Cowen reduced their price objective on Valero Energy from $190.00 to $185.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 29th. Citigroup lifted their price objective on Valero Energy from $160.00 to $192.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 18th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on Valero Energy from $178.00 to $172.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, July 2nd. Finally, Argus cut Valero Energy from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, May 16th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $172.07.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Valero Energy news, Director Kimberly S. Greene sold 720 shares of Valero Energy stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $158.12, for a total value of $113,846.40. Following the transaction, the director now owns 13,314 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,105,209.68. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.04% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Valero Energy Trading Up 1.4 %

Shares of Valero Energy stock opened at $159.12 on Friday. Valero Energy Co. has a 12-month low of $119.88 and a 12-month high of $184.79. The company has a current ratio of 1.59, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. The stock has a market cap of $52.03 billion, a PE ratio of 7.88, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.01 and a beta of 1.42. The company has a 50-day moving average of $153.61 and a two-hundred day moving average of $153.18.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, July 25th. The oil and gas company reported $2.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.60 by $0.11. The company had revenue of $34.49 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $32.97 billion. Valero Energy had a net margin of 4.25% and a return on equity of 20.97%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down .1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted $5.40 earnings per share. On average, research analysts anticipate that Valero Energy Co. will post 13.1 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 3rd. Investors of record on Thursday, August 1st will be given a dividend of $1.07 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 1st. This represents a $4.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.69%. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 21.20%.

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.