101,199 Valero Energy Corporation $VLO Shares Sold by Private Management Group Inc.

Private Management Group Inc. lowered its stake in shares of Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO) by 47.9% in the third quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 109,997 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 101,199 shares during the quarter. Valero Energy makes up approximately 1.1% of Private Management Group Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 15th largest holding. Private Management Group Inc.’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $42,636,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Blue Zone Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 2.4% during the third quarter. Blue Zone Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,027 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $398,000 after acquiring an additional 24 shares during the period. Grove Bank & Trust raised its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 1.0% during the third quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 2,608 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $1,011,000 after buying an additional 25 shares during the last quarter. 180 Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Valero Energy by 0.5% during the third quarter. 180 Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 5,317 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $2,061,000 after buying an additional 28 shares during the period. Sigma Planning Corp boosted its position in shares of Valero Energy by 0.4% during the third quarter. Sigma Planning Corp now owns 7,171 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $2,779,000 after buying an additional 29 shares during the period. Finally, Modera Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Valero Energy by 3.7% during the third quarter. Modera Wealth Management LLC now owns 956 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $370,000 after buying an additional 34 shares during the period. 78.69% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Valero Energy Price Performance

NYSE VLO opened at $356.64 on Tuesday. Valero Energy Corporation has a 12 month low of $159.90 and a 12 month 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 firm has a market capitalization of $102.69 billion, a PE ratio of 8.02, a P/E/G ratio of 0.19 and a beta of 0.58. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $399.69 and its 200 day simple moving average is $290.45.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, October 22nd. The oil and gas company reported $23.90 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $21.17 by $2.73. The firm had revenue of $46.10 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $42.71 billion. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 45.90% and a net margin of 8.44%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 43.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $3.66 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Valero Energy Corporation will post 57.83 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 21st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, November 24th will be given 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 1.3%. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 10.80%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts recently commented on VLO shares. Dbs Bank cut Valero Energy to a “hold” rating and set a $436.00 target price on the stock. in a research report on Monday, October 19th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on Valero Energy from $457.00 to $496.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, October 9th. Weiss Ratings upgraded Valero Energy from a “buy (b+)” rating to a “buy (a-)” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 29th. BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on Valero Energy from $455.00 to $505.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, October 19th. Finally, Erste Group Bank lowered Valero Energy from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, August 27th. Three research 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 assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Valero Energy has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $406.32.

Valero Energy Company 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.