King Luther Capital Management Corp Decreases Holdings in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

King Luther Capital Management Corp lessened its stake in shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 0.6% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 16,607 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 102 shares during the period. King Luther Capital Management Corp’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $2,159,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. increased its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 26.3% in the third quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 123,897 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $17,557,000 after purchasing an additional 25,761 shares in the last quarter. Signaturefd LLC increased its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 32.4% in the third quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 3,048 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $432,000 after purchasing an additional 746 shares in the last quarter. NBC Securities Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Valero Energy in the third quarter worth about $523,000. Lincoln National Corp boosted its position in shares of Valero Energy by 10.2% in the third quarter. Lincoln National Corp now owns 5,596 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $793,000 after acquiring an additional 517 shares during the period. Finally, Victory Capital Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of Valero Energy by 1.9% in the third quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 627,561 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $88,932,000 after acquiring an additional 11,579 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Valero Energy

In other news, Director Kimberly S. Greene sold 720 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $158.12, for a total transaction of $113,846.40. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 13,314 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,105,209.68. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.04% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

VLO has been the subject of several research analyst reports. TD Cowen dropped their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $190.00 to $185.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 29th. Citigroup boosted their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $160.00 to $192.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, April 18th. Mizuho lifted their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $173.00 to $176.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, May 13th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $130.00 to $171.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a research note on Friday, March 22nd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $171.00 to $184.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 4th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $173.87.

Valero Energy Stock Up 0.4 %

Valero Energy stock traded up $0.60 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $163.16. The stock had a trading volume of 245,693 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,130,864. The company has a market capitalization of $53.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.05, a PEG ratio of 1.49 and a beta of 1.55. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $166.52 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $144.71. Valero Energy Co. has a one year low of $105.66 and a one year high of $184.79. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a current ratio of 1.59 and a quick ratio of 1.10.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The oil and gas company reported $3.82 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.18 by $0.64. The company had revenue of $31.76 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $32.02 billion. Valero Energy had a net margin of 5.01% and a return on equity of 24.82%. Valero Energy’s revenue was down 12.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $8.27 EPS. On average, analysts expect that Valero Energy Co. will post 18.11 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 28th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 30th will be paid a dividend of $1.07 per share. This represents a $4.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.62%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, May 29th. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 21.20%.

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.