Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) Holdings Cut by Marshall Wace LLP

Marshall Wace LLP cut its stake in shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 84.7% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 136,609 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 758,750 shares during the quarter. Marshall Wace LLP’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $21,415,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Collective Family Office LLC grew its stake in Valero Energy by 1.5% during the 1st quarter. Collective Family Office LLC now owns 4,040 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $690,000 after buying an additional 58 shares during the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc grew its position in shares of Valero Energy by 4.7% during the first quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 1,327 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $227,000 after acquiring an additional 59 shares during the last quarter. International Private Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 3.4% in the 2nd quarter. International Private Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,970 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $309,000 after acquiring an additional 65 shares during the period. Aua Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Valero Energy by 3.1% in the 1st quarter. Aua Capital Management LLC now owns 2,261 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $386,000 after purchasing an additional 67 shares during the last quarter. Finally, OmniStar Financial Group Inc. boosted its stake in Valero Energy by 1.6% during the 2nd quarter. OmniStar Financial Group Inc. now owns 4,543 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $712,000 after purchasing an additional 70 shares during the period. 78.69% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Valero Energy Price Performance

NYSE VLO opened at $136.62 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $43.77 billion, a P/E ratio of 6.89, a P/E/G ratio of 3.08 and a beta of 1.40. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a current ratio of 1.48. The business’s fifty day moving average is $144.48 and its two-hundred day moving average is $154.84. Valero Energy Co. has a 1 year low of $119.88 and a 1 year high of $184.79.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, July 25th. The oil and gas company reported $2.71 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.60 by $0.11. The business had revenue of $34.49 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $32.97 billion. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 21.01% and a net margin of 4.25%. Valero Energy’s revenue was down .1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $5.40 earnings per share. On average, research analysts forecast that Valero Energy Co. will post 10.77 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Announces Dividend

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on VLO. Barclays cut their price target on Valero Energy from $171.00 to $165.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, July 9th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on Valero Energy from $165.00 to $172.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 3rd. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their price target on Valero Energy from $149.00 to $131.00 and set a “sell” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, September 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $178.00 to $172.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, July 2nd. Finally, StockNews.com cut shares of Valero Energy from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 17th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $168.07.

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.