Kentucky Retirement Systems Insurance Trust Fund Lowers Holdings in Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO)

Kentucky Retirement Systems Insurance Trust Fund trimmed its holdings in Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO - Free Report) by 52.0% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 9,180 shares of the oil and gas company's stock after selling 9,927 shares during the period. Kentucky Retirement Systems Insurance Trust Fund's holdings in Valero Energy were worth $1,212,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. World Investment Advisors grew its position in Valero Energy by 1.8% in the fourth quarter. World Investment Advisors now owns 4,323 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $530,000 after acquiring an additional 78 shares during the period. Silver Coast Investments LLC grew its position in Valero Energy by 1.7% in the fourth quarter. Silver Coast Investments LLC now owns 5,070 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $622,000 after acquiring an additional 83 shares during the period. Providence Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in Valero Energy by 1.1% in the fourth quarter. Providence Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 8,878 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $1,086,000 after acquiring an additional 94 shares during the period. KCM Investment Advisors LLC grew its position in Valero Energy by 1.8% in the fourth quarter. KCM Investment Advisors LLC now owns 5,497 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $674,000 after acquiring an additional 99 shares during the period. Finally, Generali Investments Towarzystwo Funduszy Inwestycyjnych grew its position in Valero Energy by 6.9% in the fourth quarter. Generali Investments Towarzystwo Funduszy Inwestycyjnych now owns 1,550 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $190,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares during the period. 78.69% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages recently weighed in on VLO. Raymond James Financial lowered their price objective on Valero Energy from $165.00 to $155.00 and set a "strong-buy" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. Barclays upped their price target on Valero Energy from $140.00 to $141.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, May 12th. Piper Sandler decreased their price target on Valero Energy from $144.00 to $140.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 9th. The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded Valero Energy from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and upped their price target for the stock from $127.00 to $154.00 in a research note on Tuesday, May 13th. Finally, Scotiabank decreased their price target on Valero Energy from $156.00 to $136.00 and set a "sector outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 11th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $150.88.

Valero Energy Stock Down 2.8%

Shares of NYSE VLO opened at $137.08 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $42.93 billion, a P/E ratio of 48.44, a PEG ratio of 2.46 and a beta of 0.99. The company has a current ratio of 1.56, a quick ratio of 1.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39. Valero Energy Corporation has a 12-month low of $99.00 and a 12-month high of $167.78. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $125.64 and its 200-day simple moving average is $127.56.

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

Valero Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, June 18th. Investors of record on Tuesday, May 20th were issued a $1.13 dividend. This represents a $4.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.30%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, May 20th. Valero Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 159.72%.

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.

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