Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) Shares Sold by Commerce Bank

Commerce Bank trimmed its position in shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 16.1% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 29,540 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 5,684 shares during the period. Commerce Bank’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $3,989,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in VLO. EdgeRock Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of Valero Energy in the 2nd quarter valued at about $27,000. Peterson Financial Group Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Valero Energy during the third quarter worth about $28,000. Lynx Investment Advisory purchased a new position in Valero Energy in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $29,000. Summit Securities Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Valero Energy during the second quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Finally, Pathway Financial Advisers LLC acquired a new position in shares of Valero Energy during the first quarter worth $33,000. 78.69% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on VLO shares. Bank of America started coverage on shares of Valero Energy in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $150.00 price target on the stock. Mizuho cut their price target on Valero Energy from $175.00 to $171.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, September 16th. Scotiabank reduced their price target on Valero Energy from $173.00 to $141.00 and set a “sector outperform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, October 10th. Barclays dropped their price objective on Valero Energy from $146.00 to $140.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, November 11th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets decreased their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $175.00 to $165.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, October 4th. One 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 company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $155.86.

Valero Energy Price Performance

Shares of VLO opened at $140.87 on Friday. 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 market cap of $44.60 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.63, a PEG ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 1.39. Valero Energy Co. has a 12 month low of $120.21 and a 12 month high of $184.79. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $136.59 and a 200 day moving average price of $145.97.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 24th. The oil and gas company reported $1.14 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.98 by $0.16. The business had revenue of $32.88 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $31.04 billion. Valero Energy had a net margin of 2.74% and a return on equity of 13.07%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 14.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $7.49 EPS. On average, research analysts forecast that Valero Energy Co. will post 8.92 earnings per share for the current year.

Valero Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed 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. This represents a $4.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.04%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, November 20th. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 38.39%.

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.