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

Hollencrest Capital Management decreased its holdings in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 8.7% in the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 4,280 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 407 shares during the quarter. Hollencrest Capital Management’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $578,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in VLO. Norden Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Valero Energy during the first quarter valued at about $452,000. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 54.4% during the first quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. now owns 18,717 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $3,195,000 after buying an additional 6,593 shares during the period. PFG Advisors acquired a new position in shares of Valero Energy in the 1st quarter valued at $232,000. KCM Investment Advisors LLC raised its stake in Valero Energy by 19.4% in the 1st quarter. KCM Investment Advisors LLC now owns 5,293 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $903,000 after acquiring an additional 861 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Atomi Financial Group Inc. lifted its position in Valero Energy by 150.2% during the 1st quarter. Atomi Financial Group Inc. now owns 4,049 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $691,000 after acquiring an additional 2,431 shares during the period. 78.69% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on VLO shares. Citigroup reduced their price objective on Valero Energy from $192.00 to $176.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded shares of Valero Energy from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and decreased their price objective for the company from $172.00 to $165.00 in a research note on Wednesday, October 9th. Scotiabank cut their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $173.00 to $141.00 and set a “sector outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, October 10th. Bank of America began coverage on shares of Valero Energy in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $150.00 target price for the company. Finally, BMO Capital Markets reduced their price objective on Valero Energy from $175.00 to $165.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, October 4th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $156.29.

Valero Energy Price Performance

Valero Energy stock opened at $136.70 on Friday. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $135.89 and a 200-day simple moving average of $147.48. The firm has a market capitalization of $43.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.26, a PEG ratio of 2.51 and a beta of 1.39. The company has a quick ratio of 1.11, a current ratio of 1.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. Valero Energy Co. has a 52-week low of $119.88 and a 52-week high of $184.79.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The oil and gas company reported $1.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.98 by $0.16. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 13.07% and a net margin of 2.74%. The business had revenue of $32.88 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $31.04 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $7.49 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was down 14.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Valero Energy Co. will post 9.21 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 20th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, November 20th will be paid a dividend of $1.07 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, November 20th. This represents a $4.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.13%. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 38.39%.

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.