New York State Teachers Retirement System Reduces Holdings in Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO)

New York State Teachers Retirement System cut its holdings in shares of Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO - Free Report) by 13.3% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 252,354 shares of the oil and gas company's stock after selling 38,581 shares during the period. New York State Teachers Retirement System owned 0.08% of Valero Energy worth $33,328,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Ameriflex Group Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Valero Energy during the fourth quarter worth $29,000. OFI Invest Asset Management purchased a new position in Valero Energy in the 4th quarter worth $37,000. Millstone Evans Group LLC acquired a new stake in Valero Energy during the 4th quarter worth about $44,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. acquired a new stake in Valero Energy during the 4th quarter worth about $52,000. Finally, Transce3nd LLC purchased a new stake in Valero Energy during the 4th quarter valued at about $58,000. 78.69% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on the company. Scotiabank decreased their target price on Valero Energy from $156.00 to $136.00 and set a "sector outperform" rating for the company in a report on Friday, April 11th. UBS Group reduced their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $160.00 to $150.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 28th. Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $160.00 to $145.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. Evercore ISI assumed coverage on shares of Valero Energy in a research note on Wednesday, June 18th. They set an "in-line" rating and a $135.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Raymond James Financial boosted their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $150.00 to $155.00 and gave the company a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Monday. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Valero Energy currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $150.88.

Valero Energy Price Performance

VLO traded up $1.47 on Friday, hitting $143.53. 2,224,601 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,055,219. Valero Energy Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $99.00 and a fifty-two week high of $167.78. The stock has a market cap of $44.96 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 50.72, a P/E/G ratio of 2.45 and a beta of 1.00. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $129.99 and a 200-day moving average price of $127.99. 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 (NYSE:VLO - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The oil and gas company reported $0.89 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.16 by ($0.27). The business had revenue of $28.76 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $28.54 billion. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 6.30% and a net margin of 0.72%. The business's revenue was down 4.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $3.82 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Valero Energy Corporation will post 7.92 earnings per share for the current year.

Valero Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, June 18th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, May 20th were given a $1.13 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, May 20th. This represents a $4.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.15%. 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.