LSV Asset Management Sells 34,220 Shares of Valero Energy Corporation $VLO

LSV Asset Management lessened its position in Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO) by 2.7% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 1,244,150 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 34,220 shares during the period. LSV Asset Management’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $202,535,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Keudell Morrison Wealth Management bought a new stake in Valero Energy in the 4th quarter worth $640,000. Axxcess Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in Valero Energy by 61.9% in the 4th quarter. Axxcess Wealth Management LLC now owns 10,269 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $1,672,000 after acquiring an additional 3,928 shares during the last quarter. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. grew its holdings in Valero Energy by 846.9% in the 4th quarter. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. now owns 14,752 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $2,401,000 after acquiring an additional 13,194 shares during the last quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC grew its holdings in Valero Energy by 48.6% in the 4th quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 10,487 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $1,707,000 after acquiring an additional 3,428 shares during the last quarter. Finally, KDT Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Valero Energy by 26.8% in the 4th quarter. KDT Advisors LLC now owns 1,942 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $316,000 after acquiring an additional 410 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Valero Energy

In related news, SVP Eric A. Fisher sold 8,311 shares of Valero Energy stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $227.69, for a total transaction of $1,892,331.59. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 42,242 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $9,618,080.98. This trade represents a 16.44% 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.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on VLO shares. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $182.00 to $222.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, April 24th. Argus raised shares of Valero Energy to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, February 2nd. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $203.00 to $237.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, March 12th. TD Cowen lifted their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $255.00 to $276.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Finally, Barclays lifted their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $184.00 to $261.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 8th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $237.94.

Valero Energy Trading Up 2.5%

Shares of VLO opened at $247.08 on Friday. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $241.89 and its 200-day moving average price is $204.54. The firm has a market capitalization of $73.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.96, a PEG ratio of 0.36 and a beta of 0.58. The company has a current ratio of 1.58, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39. Valero Energy Corporation has a 1-year low of $125.10 and a 1-year high of $263.75.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The oil and gas company reported $4.22 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.16 by $1.06. The firm had revenue of $32.38 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $31.38 billion. Valero Energy had a net margin of 3.37% and a return on equity of 15.94%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.89 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Valero Energy Corporation will post 26.51 EPS for the current year.

Valero Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 23rd. Investors of record on Thursday, May 21st will be given a dividend of $1.20 per share. This represents a $4.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 21st. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 34.88%.

Valero Energy Company Profile

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.