Gotham Asset Management LLC Lowers Stock Position in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Gotham Asset Management LLC lowered its stake in shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 21.6% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 90,695 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 24,954 shares during the quarter. Gotham Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $11,118,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in VLO. New Wave Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Valero Energy during the fourth quarter valued at about $25,000. Tobam purchased a new stake in Valero Energy during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. OFI Invest Asset Management purchased a new stake in Valero Energy during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $37,000. Golden State Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Valero Energy during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $38,000. Finally, Creative Capital Management Investments LLC lifted its position in Valero Energy by 122.0% during the fourth quarter. Creative Capital Management Investments LLC now owns 333 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $41,000 after acquiring an additional 183 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Valero Energy Stock Up 1.0%

Shares of VLO stock opened at $122.97 on Monday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $120.15 and a 200 day moving average of $128.42. 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 stock has a market cap of $38.51 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.50, a P/E/G ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 0.98. Valero Energy Co. has a twelve month low of $99.00 and a twelve month high of $167.78.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The oil and gas company reported $0.89 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.16 by ($0.27). The company had revenue of $28.76 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $28.54 billion. Valero Energy had a net margin of 2.13% and a return on equity of 9.58%. The firm’s revenue was down 4.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $3.82 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Valero Energy Co. will post 7.92 EPS for the current year.

Valero Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 18th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, May 20th will be issued a $1.13 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, May 20th. This represents a $4.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.68%. Valero Energy’s payout ratio is 159.72%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on VLO shares. Tudor Pickering raised shares of Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. TD Cowen decreased their price target on Valero Energy from $121.00 to $118.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, April 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on Valero Energy from $152.00 to $147.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 28th. Raymond James decreased their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $165.00 to $155.00 and set a “strong-buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. Finally, UBS Group decreased their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $160.00 to $150.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 28th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $149.53.

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.