Huntington National Bank Sells 31,791 Shares of Valero Energy Corporation $VLO

Huntington National Bank reduced its stake in Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO - Free Report) by 6.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 479,452 shares of the oil and gas company's stock after selling 31,791 shares during the quarter. Huntington National Bank owned 0.16% of Valero Energy worth $78,050,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in VLO. JPL Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Valero Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at $27,000. Torren Management LLC bought a new stake in Valero Energy in the 4th quarter valued at $30,000. Cypress Capital Management LLC WY bought a new stake in Valero Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at $34,000. Triumph Capital Management bought a new stake in Valero Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at $35,000. Finally, Accordant Advisory Group Inc lifted its position in Valero Energy by 194.4% in the 4th quarter. Accordant Advisory Group Inc now owns 212 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 140 shares in the last quarter. 78.69% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Valero Energy Trading Down 0.4%

Shares of NYSE:VLO opened at $240.43 on Thursday. The company's 50-day moving average price is $242.49 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $206.27. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a current ratio of 1.58 and a quick ratio of 1.15. Valero Energy Corporation has a one year low of $125.10 and a one year high of $263.75. The stock has a market capitalization of $71.39 billion, a PE ratio of 17.47, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.36 and a beta of 0.58.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The oil and gas company reported $4.22 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.16 by $1.06. Valero Energy had a net margin of 3.37% and a return on equity of 15.94%. The firm had revenue of $32.38 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $31.38 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.89 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 7.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts forecast that Valero Energy Corporation will post 26.51 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 23rd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 21st will be given a dividend of $1.20 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 21st. This represents a $4.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.0%. Valero Energy's payout ratio is 34.88%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts recently commented on the stock. Barclays boosted their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $184.00 to $261.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 8th. Raymond James Financial boosted their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $215.00 to $290.00 and gave the company a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 25th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Valero Energy from a "hold (c)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research report on Monday, May 4th. Zacks Research raised shares of Valero Energy from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of Valero Energy from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, April 4th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $243.65.

Insider Activity

In other news, SVP Eric A. Fisher sold 400 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $238.60, for a total value of $95,440.00. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.36% of the company's stock.

About Valero Energy

Valero Energy Corporation is a San Antonio, Texas–based integrated downstream energy company that manufactures and markets transportation fuels, petrochemical feedstocks and other industrial products. The company's operations focus on refining crude oil into finished fuels such as gasoline, diesel and jet fuel, as well as producing asphalt and other refined product streams for commercial and industrial customers.

In addition to refining, Valero has significant operations in renewable fuels, including the production of ethanol and other biofuels, and it manages an extensive logistics network of pipelines, terminals, rail and marine assets to move feedstocks and finished products.

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