Inspire Investing LLC Sells 6,166 Shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Inspire Investing LLC reduced its stake in shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 78.4% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,697 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 6,166 shares during the quarter. Inspire Investing LLC’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $266,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of VLO. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its holdings in Valero Energy by 5.8% during the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 4,319,436 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $677,007,000 after purchasing an additional 237,347 shares during the last quarter. Putnam Investments LLC raised its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 3.7% in the fourth quarter. Putnam Investments LLC now owns 3,445,821 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $447,957,000 after buying an additional 122,207 shares during the period. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD lifted its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 3.3% during the 1st quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 2,063,923 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $352,292,000 after acquiring an additional 65,632 shares during the last quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in Valero Energy by 37.6% during the 1st quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 1,558,750 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $266,040,000 after acquiring an additional 426,093 shares during the period. Finally, Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. grew its position in Valero Energy by 3.6% in the 1st quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. now owns 1,548,476 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $264,309,000 after acquiring an additional 53,789 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Valero Energy Price Performance

VLO opened at $132.81 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $43.43 billion, a PE ratio of 6.58, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.72 and a beta of 1.40. The business’s 50-day moving average is $144.82 and its two-hundred day moving average is $154.99. Valero Energy Co. has a 1 year low of $119.88 and a 1 year high of $184.79. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a current ratio of 1.48 and a quick ratio of 1.04.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 25th. The oil and gas company reported $2.71 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.60 by $0.11. The firm had revenue of $34.49 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $32.97 billion. Valero Energy had a net margin of 4.25% and a return on equity of 21.01%. Valero Energy’s revenue was down .1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $5.40 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that Valero Energy Co. will post 12.3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 3rd. Investors of record on Thursday, August 1st were paid a dividend of $1.07 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, August 1st. This represents a $4.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.22%. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 21.20%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have recently weighed in on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their target price on Valero Energy from $149.00 to $131.00 and set a “sell” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, September 16th. Mizuho dropped their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $175.00 to $171.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, September 16th. Piper Sandler downgraded shares of Valero Energy from an “overweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and decreased their price target for the company from $169.00 to $123.00 in a research note on Friday, September 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on Valero Energy from $178.00 to $172.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, July 2nd. Finally, Barclays decreased their target price on Valero Energy from $171.00 to $165.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, July 9th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $168.07.

About Valero Energy

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.