New York State Common Retirement Fund Has $43.42 Million Stock Holdings in Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO)

New York State Common Retirement Fund trimmed its position in shares of Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO - Free Report) by 2.8% in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 328,725 shares of the oil and gas company's stock after selling 9,600 shares during the period. New York State Common Retirement Fund owned 0.10% of Valero Energy worth $43,415,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of VLO. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 16.1% in the 4th 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. Ameriprise Financial Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 5.7% in the 4th quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 7,938,335 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $973,119,000 after acquiring an additional 429,252 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 1.5% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 6,871,229 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $844,775,000 after acquiring an additional 100,248 shares during the period. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Valero Energy in the 4th quarter worth approximately $669,400,000. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 1.5% in the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 4,759,172 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $583,427,000 after acquiring an additional 71,587 shares during the period. 78.69% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on VLO shares. Citigroup lowered shares of Valero Energy from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and upped their price target for the stock from $134.00 to $150.00 in a research note on Wednesday. UBS Group upped their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $150.00 to $164.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 8th. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $145.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday. Mizuho boosted their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $158.00 to $166.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 13th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded shares of Valero Energy from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $127.00 to $154.00 in a report on Tuesday, May 13th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $153.94.

Valero Energy Trading Down 3.8%

Shares of VLO stock traded down $5.60 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $143.20. 4,002,881 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,093,214. Valero Energy Corporation has a 1-year low of $99.00 and a 1-year high of $167.78. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $135.73 and a 200 day moving average price of $129.74. The company has a quick ratio of 1.09, a current ratio of 1.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39. The firm has a market capitalization of $44.85 billion, a PE ratio of 50.60, a PEG ratio of 2.55 and a beta of 1.00.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly 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). Valero Energy had a net margin of 0.72% and a return on equity of 6.30%. The firm had revenue of $28.76 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $28.54 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $3.82 EPS. The firm's revenue was down 4.7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Valero Energy Corporation will post 7.92 EPS for the current year.

Valero Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, June 18th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, May 20th were paid a $1.13 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, May 20th. This represents a $4.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.16%. Valero Energy's dividend payout ratio 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.