Perpetual Ltd Sells 4,626 Shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Perpetual Ltd reduced its stake in shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 61.9% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 2,853 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 4,626 shares during the quarter. Perpetual Ltd’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $350,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in VLO. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its stake in Valero Energy by 4,908.0% during the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 2,850,526 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $384,907,000 after acquiring an additional 2,793,607 shares during the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC increased its stake in Valero Energy by 11,318.9% during the third quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 1,076,349 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $145,339,000 after acquiring an additional 1,066,923 shares during the last quarter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund grew its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 900.2% during the third quarter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund now owns 631,095 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $85,217,000 after buying an additional 568,000 shares during the last quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. grew its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 18.8% during the third quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 3,585,166 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $484,105,000 after buying an additional 567,059 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Valero Energy during the third quarter valued at approximately $70,352,000. 78.69% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Valero Energy Stock Performance

Shares of VLO opened at $140.75 on Friday. Valero Energy Co. has a 12 month low of $116.84 and a 12 month high of $184.79. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $131.27 and a 200-day moving average price of $137.96. The company has a current ratio of 1.57, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. The firm has a market cap of $44.56 billion, a PE ratio of 12.62, a P/E/G ratio of 2.90 and a beta of 1.42.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 24th. The oil and gas company reported $1.14 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.98 by $0.16. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 13.07% and a net margin of 2.74%. The firm had revenue of $32.88 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $31.04 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $7.49 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 14.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts predict that Valero Energy Co. will post 7.93 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 3rd. Investors of record on Thursday, January 30th will be given a $1.13 dividend. This represents a $4.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.21%. This is an increase from Valero Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.07. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, January 30th. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 38.39%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have recently commented on VLO shares. Scotiabank cut their target price on Valero Energy from $173.00 to $141.00 and set a “sector outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, October 10th. Piper Sandler raised Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 10th. BMO Capital Markets dropped their price objective on Valero Energy from $175.00 to $165.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, October 4th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on Valero Energy from $165.00 to $160.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, December 9th. Finally, Mizuho dropped their price objective on Valero Energy from $165.00 to $158.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $154.57.

Valero Energy Company Profile

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.