Wilsey Asset Management Inc. Trims Stock Position in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Wilsey Asset Management Inc. trimmed its holdings in shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO - Free Report) by 32.4% in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 5,070 shares of the oil and gas company's stock after selling 2,426 shares during the quarter. Valero Energy accounts for approximately 0.1% of Wilsey Asset Management Inc.'s portfolio, making the stock its 19th biggest position. Wilsey Asset Management Inc.'s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $670,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Van ECK Associates Corp grew its position in Valero Energy by 9.1% in the 4th quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 223,016 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $27,340,000 after acquiring an additional 18,623 shares in the last quarter. Avestar Capital LLC boosted its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 7.9% in the 4th quarter. Avestar Capital LLC now owns 1,850 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $227,000 after buying an additional 135 shares during the period. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. boosted its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 0.4% in the 4th quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. now owns 123,356 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $14,751,000 after buying an additional 455 shares during the period. Bogart Wealth LLC boosted its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 10.8% in the 4th quarter. Bogart Wealth LLC now owns 1,027 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $126,000 after buying an additional 100 shares during the period. Finally, Vontobel Holding Ltd. boosted its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 13.4% in the 4th quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. now owns 11,529 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $1,413,000 after buying an additional 1,359 shares during the period. 78.69% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Valero Energy Price Performance

Shares of VLO traded up $0.54 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $134.04. 3,758,276 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,036,156. The company has a quick ratio of 1.11, a current ratio of 1.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. The stock has a market capitalization of $41.98 billion, a PE ratio of 15.81, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 0.99. Valero Energy Co. has a fifty-two week low of $99.00 and a fifty-two week high of $167.78. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $122.26 and a 200 day simple moving average of $127.48.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 24th. The oil and gas company reported $0.89 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.16 by ($0.27). The company had revenue of $28.76 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $28.54 billion. Valero Energy had a net margin of 2.13% and a return on equity of 9.58%. The firm's revenue was down 4.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $3.82 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that Valero Energy Co. will post 7.92 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 18th. Investors of record on Tuesday, May 20th will be paid a dividend of $1.13 per share. This represents a $4.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.37%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, May 20th. Valero Energy's payout ratio is currently 159.72%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on VLO shares. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on Valero Energy from $160.00 to $145.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. Raymond James decreased their target price on Valero Energy from $165.00 to $155.00 and set a "strong-buy" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. Barclays boosted their target price on Valero Energy from $140.00 to $141.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, May 12th. Mizuho boosted their target price on Valero Energy from $158.00 to $166.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 13th. Finally, UBS Group decreased their target price on Valero Energy from $160.00 to $150.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 28th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Valero Energy currently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $151.93.

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.