Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) Shares Sold by Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc.

Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. cut its holdings in shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 2.3% during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 756,411 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 17,892 shares during the period. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. owned approximately 0.24% of Valero Energy worth $102,138,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. GSA Capital Partners LLP purchased a new position in Valero Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at about $1,176,000. Entropy Technologies LP purchased a new position in Valero Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at about $949,000. Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV lifted its stake in Valero Energy by 8.0% in the 3rd quarter. Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV now owns 10,096 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $1,363,000 after buying an additional 747 shares in the last quarter. Versor Investments LP lifted its stake in Valero Energy by 146.0% in the 3rd quarter. Versor Investments LP now owns 12,045 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $1,626,000 after buying an additional 7,148 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Venturi Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in Valero Energy by 10.6% in the 3rd quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 5,072 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $685,000 after buying an additional 486 shares in the last quarter. 78.69% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Valero Energy Stock Up 1.8 %

Shares of NYSE VLO opened at $139.55 on Thursday. Valero Energy Co. has a 1 year low of $120.21 and a 1 year high of $184.79. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a current ratio of 1.57 and a quick ratio of 1.11. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $135.63 and a 200-day simple moving average of $146.80. The company has a market capitalization of $44.18 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.52, a P/E/G ratio of 2.51 and a beta of 1.39.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The oil and gas company reported $1.14 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.98 by $0.16. Valero Energy had a net margin of 2.74% and a return on equity of 13.07%. The firm had revenue of $32.88 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $31.04 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $7.49 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 14.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts predict that Valero Energy Co. will post 9.1 earnings per share for the current year.

Valero Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 20th. Investors of record on Wednesday, November 20th will be issued a $1.07 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, November 20th. This represents a $4.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.07%. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 38.39%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

VLO has been the topic of a number of research reports. Mizuho decreased their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $175.00 to $171.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, September 16th. Wells Fargo & Company raised shares of Valero Energy from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and decreased their target price for the stock from $172.00 to $165.00 in a research note on Wednesday, October 9th. Barclays decreased their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $146.00 to $140.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday. TD Cowen decreased their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $145.00 to $140.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Finally, Wolfe Research assumed coverage on shares of Valero Energy in a research note on Thursday, July 18th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $177.00 target price on the stock. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Valero Energy has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $155.86.

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.