Toronto Dominion Bank Cuts Stock Holdings in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Toronto Dominion Bank lessened its holdings in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 6.5% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 106,364 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 7,344 shares during the quarter. Toronto Dominion Bank’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $18,155,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of VLO. Rise Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Valero Energy during the first quarter worth about $33,000. BKM Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Valero Energy in the fourth quarter valued at about $26,000. First Foundation Advisors acquired a new stake in Valero Energy in the first quarter valued at about $37,000. Wetzel Investment Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in Valero Energy in the fourth quarter valued at about $36,000. Finally, DT Investment Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Valero Energy in the fourth quarter valued at about $45,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Valero Energy Trading Up 1.4 %

Shares of NYSE VLO traded up $2.12 during trading on Friday, hitting $159.12. 3,151,478 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,537,062. Valero Energy Co. has a 1 year low of $119.88 and a 1 year high of $184.79. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $153.61 and a 200-day moving average price of $153.00. The firm has a market capitalization of $52.03 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.88, a P/E/G ratio of 1.99 and a beta of 1.42. The company has a quick ratio of 1.10, a current ratio of 1.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 25th. The oil and gas company reported $2.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.60 by $0.11. Valero Energy had a net margin of 4.25% and a return on equity of 20.97%. The company had revenue of $34.49 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $32.97 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $5.40 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was down .1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts predict that Valero Energy Co. will post 13.18 EPS for the current year.

Valero Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared 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 21.20%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on VLO shares. TD Cowen dropped their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $190.00 to $185.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 29th. Barclays reduced their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $171.00 to $165.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, July 9th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $156.00 to $165.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday. Citigroup lifted their price objective on Valero Energy from $160.00 to $192.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 18th. Finally, Argus downgraded Valero Energy from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 16th. One 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 data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $172.07.

Insider Buying and Selling

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

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.