New York State Common Retirement Fund Sells 35,123 Shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

New York State Common Retirement Fund lowered its position in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 9.2% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 345,325 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 35,123 shares during the period. New York State Common Retirement Fund owned approximately 0.11% of Valero Energy worth $46,629,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of VLO. EdgeRock Capital LLC purchased a new position in Valero Energy during the second quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Lynx Investment Advisory purchased a new stake in Valero Energy during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $29,000. Summit Securities Group LLC acquired a new position in Valero Energy during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC acquired a new position in shares of Valero Energy in the 1st quarter valued at $33,000. Finally, Compagnie Lombard Odier SCmA acquired a new stake in Valero Energy during the 3rd quarter worth about $34,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages recently commented on VLO. Citigroup dropped their target price on Valero Energy from $192.00 to $176.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Bank of America initiated coverage on shares of Valero Energy in a report on Thursday, October 17th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $150.00 price target on the stock. Scotiabank decreased their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $173.00 to $141.00 and set a “sector outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, October 10th. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded Valero Energy from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and cut their price objective for the company from $172.00 to $165.00 in a research report on Wednesday, October 9th. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded Valero Energy from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 17th. One 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 data from MarketBeat, Valero Energy currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $156.29.

Valero Energy Price Performance

Valero Energy stock opened at $128.22 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.04, 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. The firm has a market cap of $41.08 billion, a PE ratio of 11.50, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.32 and a beta of 1.39. The company’s 50 day moving average is $136.69 and its two-hundred day moving average is $148.42.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The oil and gas company reported $1.14 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.98 by $0.16. The company had revenue of $32.88 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $31.04 billion. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 13.07% and a net margin of 2.74%. Valero Energy’s revenue was down 14.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $7.49 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that Valero Energy Co. will post 9.32 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 20th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, November 20th will be issued a $1.07 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, November 20th. This represents a $4.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.34%. Valero Energy’s payout ratio 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.