Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) Shares Sold by Bridgeway Capital Management LLC

Bridgeway Capital Management LLC cut its holdings in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO - Free Report) by 14.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 22,150 shares of the oil and gas company's stock after selling 3,800 shares during the quarter. Bridgeway Capital Management LLC's holdings in Valero Energy were worth $2,715,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in VLO. Norges Bank bought a new position in Valero Energy in the fourth quarter worth about $669,400,000. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in Valero Energy by 16.1% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 34,725,700 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $4,257,024,000 after purchasing an additional 4,805,133 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in Valero Energy in the fourth quarter worth about $132,469,000. Northern Trust Corp raised its holdings in Valero Energy by 15.9% in the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 3,850,859 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $472,077,000 after purchasing an additional 529,513 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD raised its holdings in Valero Energy by 22.5% in the fourth quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 2,864,418 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $351,151,000 after purchasing an additional 525,255 shares in the last quarter. 78.69% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Valero Energy Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:VLO traded up $4.67 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $135.16. 3,307,942 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,031,857. Valero Energy Co. has a 1 year low of $99.00 and a 1 year high of $167.78. The company has a market cap of $42.33 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.94, a PEG ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 0.98. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a current ratio of 1.57. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $120.32 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $128.41.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 firm had revenue of $28.76 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $28.54 billion. Valero Energy had a net margin of 2.13% and a return on equity of 9.58%. The company's revenue for the quarter was down 4.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $3.82 EPS. Equities analysts predict that Valero Energy Co. will post 7.92 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 18th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, May 20th will be issued a $1.13 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, May 20th. This represents a $4.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.34%. Valero Energy's payout ratio is currently 159.72%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have commented on VLO shares. 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. Mizuho upped their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $158.00 to $166.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday. TD Cowen cut their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $121.00 to $118.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 25th. UBS Group cut their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $160.00 to $150.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 28th. Finally, Barclays upped their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $140.00 to $141.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday. Three equities research 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. Based on data from MarketBeat, Valero Energy has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus 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.