Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) Shares Sold by Bailard Inc.

Bailard Inc. decreased its position in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 1.7% in the 2nd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 54,789 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 954 shares during the period. Bailard Inc.’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $8,589,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Valero Energy in the 4th quarter valued at $570,428,000. Acadian Asset Management LLC increased its stake in Valero Energy by 37.6% in the first 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 purchasing an additional 426,093 shares during the last quarter. Montrusco Bolton Investments Inc. lifted its position in Valero Energy by 18.7% during the fourth quarter. Montrusco Bolton Investments Inc. now owns 2,389,654 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $310,655,000 after buying an additional 376,449 shares during the period. Bank of Nova Scotia lifted its position in Valero Energy by 721.4% during the fourth quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia now owns 337,911 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $43,927,000 after buying an additional 296,771 shares during the period. Finally, Canoe Financial LP purchased a new stake in Valero Energy in the 4th quarter valued at about $34,580,000. 78.69% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Valero Energy Stock Down 1.9 %

Shares of Valero Energy stock traded down $2.78 during trading on Monday, reaching $143.09. The company had a trading volume of 2,751,768 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,994,479. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a current ratio of 1.48. Valero Energy Co. has a fifty-two week low of $119.88 and a fifty-two week high of $184.79. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $150.85 and its 200-day moving average is $155.69. The company has a market cap of $46.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.09, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 1.42.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last released its earnings results on Thursday, July 25th. The oil and gas company reported $2.71 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.60 by $0.11. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 21.01% and a net margin of 4.25%. The company had revenue of $34.49 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $32.97 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $5.40 EPS. Valero Energy’s quarterly revenue was down .1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts anticipate that Valero Energy Co. will post 12.86 EPS for the current year.

Valero Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 3rd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, August 1st will be paid a dividend of $1.07 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 1st. This represents a $4.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.99%. Valero Energy’s payout ratio is 21.20%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

VLO has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Wolfe Research assumed coverage on shares of Valero Energy in a report on Thursday, July 18th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $177.00 price objective on the stock. Barclays cut their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $171.00 to $165.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, July 9th. Scotiabank boosted their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $165.00 to $173.00 and gave the company a “sector outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, July 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on Valero Energy from $178.00 to $172.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, July 2nd. Finally, Piper Sandler lowered their price target on Valero Energy from $187.00 to $169.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, June 14th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Valero Energy presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $174.00.

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.