Fulcrum Equity Management lessened its stake in shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO - Free Report) by 53.8% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 3,822 shares of the oil and gas company's stock after selling 4,442 shares during the period. Fulcrum Equity Management's holdings in Valero Energy were worth $469,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.
Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Valero Energy during the fourth quarter valued at $669,400,000. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in Valero Energy by 16.1% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 34,725,700 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $4,257,024,000 after acquiring an additional 4,805,133 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in Valero Energy during the 4th quarter worth about $132,469,000. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH purchased a new position in Valero Energy during the 4th quarter valued at about $98,376,000. Finally, Northern Trust Corp increased its position in Valero Energy by 15.9% during the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 3,850,859 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $472,077,000 after purchasing an additional 529,513 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 78.69% of the company's stock.
Valero Energy Stock Performance
Shares of NYSE VLO traded down $0.36 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $128.80. The company had a trading volume of 3,870,512 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,036,265. Valero Energy Co. has a 1 year low of $99.00 and a 1 year high of $167.78. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $120.80 and its 200 day simple moving average is $128.29. The company has a current ratio of 1.57, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. The stock has a market cap of $40.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.19, a P/E/G ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 0.98.
Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The oil and gas company reported $0.89 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.16 by ($0.27). The firm had revenue of $28.76 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $28.54 billion. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 9.58% and a net margin of 2.13%. The business's revenue was down 4.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $3.82 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that Valero Energy Co. will post 7.92 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
Valero Energy Announces Dividend
The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 18th. Investors of record on Tuesday, May 20th will be given a $1.13 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, May 20th. This represents a $4.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.51%. Valero Energy's dividend payout ratio is currently 159.72%.
Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades
Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $152.00 to $147.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 28th. Raymond James lowered their target price on Valero Energy from $165.00 to $155.00 and set a "strong-buy" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. TD Cowen cut their price target on Valero Energy from $121.00 to $118.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 25th. Scotiabank reduced their price target on Valero Energy from $156.00 to $136.00 and set a "sector outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 11th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group raised Valero Energy from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and raised their price objective for the company from $127.00 to $154.00 in a research report on Tuesday, May 13th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $151.93.
Get Our Latest Stock Analysis on Valero Energy
About Valero Energy
(
Free Report)
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.
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