Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO) Shares Sold by Vontobel Holding Ltd.

Vontobel Holding Ltd. decreased its position in shares of Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO - Free Report) by 63.7% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 4,188 shares of the oil and gas company's stock after selling 7,341 shares during the quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd.'s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $553,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of VLO. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Valero Energy during the 4th quarter valued at $669,400,000. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 16.1% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 34,725,700 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $4,257,024,000 after buying an additional 4,805,133 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 15,395.5% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,355,699 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $179,047,000 after buying an additional 1,346,950 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in Valero Energy in the 4th quarter worth $132,469,000. Finally, Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH purchased a new stake in Valero Energy in the 4th quarter worth $98,376,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.69% of the company's stock.

Valero Energy Stock Down 0.5%

VLO traded down $0.70 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $143.88. 2,537,450 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,055,702. Valero Energy Corporation has a 12-month low of $99.00 and a 12-month high of $167.78. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $130.58 and a 200 day moving average of $128.22. The firm has a market cap of $45.06 billion, a P/E ratio of 50.84, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.50 and a beta of 1.00. 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 announced its 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 return on equity of 6.30% and a net margin of 0.72%. The business had revenue of $28.76 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $28.54 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $3.82 earnings per share. Valero Energy's quarterly revenue was down 4.7% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts predict that Valero Energy Corporation will post 7.92 EPS for the current fiscal 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 issued a $1.13 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, May 20th. This represents a $4.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.14%. Valero Energy's dividend payout ratio is presently 159.72%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have commented on VLO. UBS Group decreased 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 note on Monday, April 28th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $152.00 to $147.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 28th. Evercore ISI started 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. Morgan Stanley decreased 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. Finally, Piper Sandler reduced their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $144.00 to $140.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, May 9th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Valero Energy presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $150.88.

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.