Intact Investment Management Inc. Sells 3,200 Shares of Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO)

Intact Investment Management Inc. lessened its holdings in Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO - Free Report) by 10.8% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 26,400 shares of the oil and gas company's stock after selling 3,200 shares during the quarter. Intact Investment Management Inc.'s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $3,487,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Ameriflex Group Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Valero Energy in the fourth quarter valued at about $29,000. OFI Invest Asset Management purchased a new position in shares of Valero Energy in the fourth quarter valued at about $37,000. Millstone Evans Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Valero Energy in the fourth quarter valued at about $44,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of Valero Energy in the fourth quarter valued at about $52,000. Finally, Transce3nd LLC purchased a new position in shares of Valero Energy in the fourth quarter valued at about $58,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.69% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on VLO shares. Evercore ISI started coverage on shares of Valero Energy in a research report on Wednesday. They issued an "in-line" rating and a $135.00 price objective on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $152.00 to $147.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 28th. Barclays boosted their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $140.00 to $141.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, May 12th. The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded shares of Valero Energy from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and boosted their price target for the company from $127.00 to $154.00 in a research report on Tuesday, May 13th. Finally, UBS Group reduced their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $160.00 to $150.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 28th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $150.88.

Valero Energy Stock Up 1.2%

NYSE:VLO traded up $1.74 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $141.16. 5,438,642 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,041,553. Valero Energy Corporation has a one year low of $99.00 and a one year high of $167.78. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a current ratio of 1.56 and a quick ratio of 1.09. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $125.11 and a 200 day moving average price of $127.52. The company has a market cap of $44.21 billion, a PE ratio of 49.88, a P/E/G ratio of 2.46 and a beta of 0.99.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 24th. The oil and gas company reported $0.89 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.16 by ($0.27). The business had revenue of $28.76 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $28.54 billion. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 6.30% and a net margin of 0.72%. The company's revenue was down 4.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $3.82 EPS. Equities analysts predict that Valero Energy Corporation will post 7.92 EPS for the current year.

Valero Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, June 18th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, May 20th were paid a $1.13 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, May 20th. This represents a $4.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.20%. Valero Energy's dividend payout ratio is presently 159.72%.

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.