Sigma Planning Corp Sells 97 Shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Sigma Planning Corp reduced its position in shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 1.3% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 7,564 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 97 shares during the period. Sigma Planning Corp’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $1,021,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Ameriprise Financial Inc. lifted its holdings in Valero Energy by 2.8% in the second quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 6,956,743 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $1,090,532,000 after buying an additional 192,397 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 5.8% during the second 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 acquiring an additional 237,347 shares in the last quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in Valero Energy by 1.9% in the second quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 3,018,107 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $473,118,000 after buying an additional 56,989 shares during the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc lifted its position in Valero Energy by 3.0% in the 2nd quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 2,809,355 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $440,394,000 after acquiring an additional 82,539 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD lifted its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 3.3% during the first quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 2,063,923 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $352,292,000 after purchasing an additional 65,632 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Valero Energy Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:VLO opened at $139.55 on Thursday. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $135.63 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $146.80. Valero Energy Co. has a 52 week low of $120.21 and a 52 week high of $184.79. The company has a quick ratio of 1.11, a current ratio of 1.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. The stock has a market capitalization of $44.18 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.52, a PEG ratio of 2.51 and a beta of 1.39.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The oil and gas company reported $1.14 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.98 by $0.16. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 13.07% and a net margin of 2.74%. The company had revenue of $32.88 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $31.04 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $7.49 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was down 14.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts expect that Valero Energy Co. will post 9.1 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 20th. Investors of record on Wednesday, November 20th will be issued a dividend of $1.07 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, November 20th. This represents a $4.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.07%. Valero Energy’s payout ratio is presently 38.39%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have recently weighed in on VLO. Citigroup decreased their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $192.00 to $176.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, October 25th. Scotiabank decreased their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $173.00 to $141.00 and set a “sector outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, October 10th. Barclays decreased their target price on Valero Energy from $146.00 to $140.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday. Wells Fargo & Company raised Valero Energy from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and cut their price target for the company from $172.00 to $165.00 in a report on Wednesday, October 9th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lowered their price objective on Valero Energy from $175.00 to $165.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, October 4th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Valero Energy has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $155.86.

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.