GQG Partners LLC Sells 7,325 Shares of Valero Energy Corporation $VLO

GQG Partners LLC decreased its position in Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO) by 21.6% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 26,587 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 7,325 shares during the quarter. GQG Partners LLC’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $6,924,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Whipplewood Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 3,400.0% in the first quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC now owns 105 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 102 shares in the last quarter. JPL Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Valero Energy in the 3rd quarter worth about $27,000. Financial Life Planners bought a new stake in Valero Energy in the 1st quarter valued at about $28,000. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Valero Energy by 134.0% in the 1st quarter. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 117 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 67 shares during the period. Finally, Torren Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Valero Energy during the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. 78.69% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at Valero Energy

In related news, SVP Eric A. Fisher sold 7,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, June 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $268.17, for a total transaction of $2,011,275.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president owned 19,742 shares in the company, valued at $5,294,212.14. The trade was a 27.53% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.36% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Valero Energy Trading Up 2.3%

Shares of Valero Energy stock opened at $349.27 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $100.57 billion, a PE ratio of 14.49, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.23 and a beta of 0.55. The company has a current ratio of 1.64, a quick ratio of 1.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $292.93 and its 200 day moving average is $253.69. Valero Energy Corporation has a 1 year low of $140.13 and a 1 year high of $352.70.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 30th. The oil and gas company reported $12.54 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $10.11 by $2.43. Valero Energy had a net margin of 5.17% and a return on equity of 26.74%. The business had revenue of $44.48 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $39.47 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.28 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 48.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts forecast that Valero Energy Corporation will post 40.62 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, July 31st will be paid a $1.20 dividend. This represents a $4.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.4%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 31st. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 19.92%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have weighed in on VLO. Raymond James Financial lifted their price objective on Valero Energy from $300.00 to $340.00 and gave the company a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, July 13th. UBS Group raised their price target on Valero Energy from $280.00 to $355.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, July 31st. Zacks Research raised Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 4th. TD Cowen upped their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $338.00 to $350.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, August 3rd. Finally, Mizuho increased their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $289.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 4th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $288.00.

About Valero Energy

Valero Energy Corporation is a San Antonio, Texas–based integrated downstream energy company that manufactures and markets transportation fuels, petrochemical feedstocks and other industrial products. The company’s operations focus on refining crude oil into finished fuels such as gasoline, diesel and jet fuel, as well as producing asphalt and other refined product streams for commercial and industrial customers.

In addition to refining, Valero has significant operations in renewable fuels, including the production of ethanol and other biofuels, and it manages an extensive logistics network of pipelines, terminals, rail and marine assets to move feedstocks and finished products.