Valero Energy Corporation $VLO Shares Sold by Candriam S.C.A.

Candriam S.C.A. lessened its holdings in shares of Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO) by 11.7% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 53,201 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 7,072 shares during the period. Candriam S.C.A.’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $20,697,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Moore Capital Management LP purchased a new stake in Valero Energy in the second quarter valued at $13,193,000. QRG Capital Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 5.5% during the second quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 58,558 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $15,251,000 after purchasing an additional 3,037 shares during the last quarter. Atlatl Advisers LLC purchased a new position in shares of Valero Energy during the third quarter worth about $10,206,000. QP Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Valero Energy during the third quarter worth about $1,423,000. Finally, Jennison Associates LLC increased its position in shares of Valero Energy by 377.1% during the first quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 413,437 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $102,152,000 after purchasing an additional 326,777 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

VLO has been the subject of several research reports. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on Valero Energy from $411.00 to $420.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, November 2nd. Evercore decreased their target price on Valero Energy from $385.00 to $325.00 in a research report on Wednesday, October 28th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price target on Valero Energy from $457.00 to $496.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, October 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on Valero Energy from $339.00 to $439.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 8th. Finally, Freedom Broker cut Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating and set a $276.00 price objective for the company. in a research note on Friday, October 23rd. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $406.32.

Valero Energy Stock Down 0.0%

Shares of NYSE:VLO opened at $346.29 on Monday. Valero Energy Corporation has a 1-year low of $159.90 and a 1-year high of $461.52. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 1.72 and a quick ratio of 1.33. The stock has a market cap of $96.57 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.79, a P/E/G ratio of 0.18 and a beta of 0.58. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $399.61 and a 200 day moving average price of $289.61.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 22nd. The oil and gas company reported $23.90 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $21.17 by $2.73. The company had revenue of $46.10 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $42.71 billion. Valero Energy had a net margin of 8.44% and a return on equity of 45.90%. Valero Energy’s quarterly revenue was up 43.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $3.66 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts predict that Valero Energy Corporation will post 57.83 EPS for the current year.

Valero Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 21st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, November 24th will be paid a dividend of $1.20 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, November 24th. This represents a $4.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.4%. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio is 10.80%.

Valero Energy Profile

Valero Energy Corporation is an international refiner and producer of transportation fuels and other petroleum products, headquartered in San Antonio, Texas. Its refining business processes crude oil and other feedstocks into products such as gasoline, diesel, jet fuel, asphalt and petrochemical feedstocks.

The company markets and distributes fuels to wholesale customers and through branded distribution networks. Its refining operations span the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom, with products serving customers in North America and other markets.

Valero also produces renewable fuels, including ethanol and renewable diesel.