Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. Lowers Stock Position in Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO)

Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. reduced its position in shares of Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO - Free Report) by 7.2% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 47,576 shares of the oil and gas company's stock after selling 3,686 shares during the period. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc.'s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $6,283,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Mizuho boosted their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $158.00 to $166.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 13th. The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded shares of Valero Energy from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and boosted their target price for the company from $127.00 to $154.00 in a research report on Tuesday, May 13th. Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $160.00 to $145.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. UBS Group dropped their target price 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. Finally, Evercore ISI initiated coverage on shares of Valero Energy in a research report on Wednesday, June 18th. They set an "in-line" rating and a $135.00 target price on the stock. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. 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 Performance

VLO traded down $2.21 during trading on Friday, hitting $134.76. 8,049,061 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,046,881. The firm has a market cap of $42.21 billion, a P/E ratio of 47.62, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.35 and a beta of 0.99. The stock's fifty day moving average is $127.81 and its 200 day moving average is $127.67. The company has a quick ratio of 1.09, a current ratio of 1.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39. Valero Energy Corporation has a one year low of $99.00 and a one year high of $167.78.

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 the consensus estimate of $1.16 by ($0.27). Valero Energy had a net margin of 0.72% and a return on equity of 6.30%. The company had revenue of $28.76 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $28.54 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $3.82 EPS. Valero Energy's quarterly revenue was down 4.7% compared to the same quarter last year. 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 business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, June 18th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, May 20th were given a dividend of $1.13 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, May 20th. This represents a $4.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.35%. Valero Energy's dividend payout ratio is currently 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.