Elo Mutual Pension Insurance Co Cuts Stock Position in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Elo Mutual Pension Insurance Co lowered its position in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 19.6% during the second quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 29,165 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 7,107 shares during the quarter. Elo Mutual Pension Insurance Co’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $4,572,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of VLO. 9258 Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in Valero Energy by 7.2% in the 4th quarter. 9258 Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,704 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $222,000 after purchasing an additional 114 shares in the last quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. boosted its stake in Valero Energy by 2.0% in the 4th quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 172,884 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $22,475,000 after purchasing an additional 3,449 shares in the last quarter. Quest Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Valero Energy in the 4th quarter worth approximately $662,000. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its stake in Valero Energy by 23.1% in the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 598,764 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $77,839,000 after purchasing an additional 112,178 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board boosted its stake in Valero Energy by 214.4% in the 4th quarter. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board now owns 14,475 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $1,882,000 after purchasing an additional 9,871 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Valero Energy Stock Performance

VLO opened at $136.76 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a current ratio of 1.48 and a quick ratio of 1.04. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $145.85 and a 200 day moving average price of $155.24. Valero Energy Co. has a 1 year low of $119.88 and a 1 year high of $184.79. The stock has a market cap of $43.82 billion, a P/E ratio of 6.77, a P/E/G ratio of 2.72 and a beta of 1.40.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last posted its earnings results 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 21.01%. The firm 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 business posted $5.40 EPS. The business’s revenue was down .1% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts anticipate that Valero Energy Co. will post 12.3 earnings per share for the current year.

Valero Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 3rd. Investors of record on Thursday, August 1st were paid a $1.07 dividend. This represents a $4.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.13%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, August 1st. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 21.20%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts recently commented on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $149.00 to $131.00 and set a “sell” rating for the company in a research note on Monday. Mizuho lowered their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $175.00 to $171.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Monday. StockNews.com cut shares of Valero Energy from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 17th. Wolfe Research assumed coverage on shares of Valero Energy in a research note on Thursday, July 18th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $177.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Barclays decreased their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $171.00 to $165.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, July 9th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Valero Energy has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $171.36.

Valero Energy 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.