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

Centaurus Financial Inc. reduced its position in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 20.2% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 2,848 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 720 shares during the period. Centaurus Financial Inc.’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $385,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of VLO. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Valero Energy during the second quarter valued at approximately $15,945,000. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 1.8% during the 3rd quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 1,293,589 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $174,673,000 after acquiring an additional 22,571 shares in the last quarter. 180 Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Valero Energy during the 2nd quarter worth $535,000. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV increased its holdings in Valero Energy by 23.7% in the 2nd quarter. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV now owns 42,716 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $6,696,000 after purchasing an additional 8,198 shares in the last quarter. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC raised its position in Valero Energy by 66.0% in the second quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 8,781 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $1,377,000 after purchasing an additional 3,492 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Valero Energy Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE VLO opened at $139.82 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.11, a current ratio of 1.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $136.79 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $145.56. Valero Energy Co. has a 52-week low of $120.21 and a 52-week high of $184.79. The stock has a market capitalization of $44.26 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.54, a PEG ratio of 2.63 and a beta of 1.39.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The oil and gas company reported $1.14 earnings per share (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 business had revenue of $32.88 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $31.04 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $7.49 EPS. The business’s revenue was down 14.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts anticipate that Valero Energy Co. will post 8.92 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 20th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, November 20th will be given a $1.07 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, November 20th. This represents a $4.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.06%. Valero Energy’s payout ratio is currently 38.39%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Citigroup lowered their target price on Valero Energy from $192.00 to $176.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, October 25th. The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $149.00 to $131.00 and set a “sell” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, September 16th. Piper Sandler downgraded shares of Valero Energy from an “overweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and decreased their target price for the company from $169.00 to $123.00 in a research note on Friday, September 20th. Wells Fargo & Company raised shares of Valero Energy from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and dropped their price target for the stock from $172.00 to $165.00 in a research note on Wednesday, October 9th. Finally, Mizuho cut their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $175.00 to $171.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, September 16th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $155.86.

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.