Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) Stock Position Reduced by Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund

Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund decreased its stake in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 3.4% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 28,124 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 1,000 shares during the quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $4,409,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. EdgeRock Capital LLC acquired a new stake in Valero Energy during the second quarter valued at $27,000. Lynx Investment Advisory acquired a new stake in shares of Valero Energy during the 2nd quarter valued at about $29,000. Summit Securities Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Valero Energy during the 2nd quarter valued at about $31,000. Rise Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Valero Energy in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Finally, Pathway Financial Advisers LLC bought a new position in Valero Energy during the first quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

VLO has been the topic of several analyst reports. Scotiabank increased their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $165.00 to $173.00 and gave the stock a “sector outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, July 12th. Wolfe Research initiated coverage on shares of Valero Energy in a research report on Thursday, July 18th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $177.00 target price on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on Valero Energy from $165.00 to $172.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday. StockNews.com lowered Valero Energy from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 17th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on Valero Energy from $178.00 to $172.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, July 2nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $174.50.

Valero Energy Stock Down 1.2 %

VLO opened at $139.63 on Thursday. The business has a 50 day moving average of $149.61 and a 200-day moving average of $155.64. The stock has a market capitalization of $45.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 6.92, a P/E/G ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 1.42. The company has a current ratio of 1.48, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34. Valero Energy Co. has a 1-year low of $119.88 and a 1-year high of $184.79.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 25th. The oil and gas company reported $2.71 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.60 by $0.11. The firm had revenue of $34.49 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $32.97 billion. Valero Energy had a net margin of 4.25% and a return on equity of 21.01%. The business’s revenue was down .1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $5.40 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Valero Energy Co. will post 12.86 earnings per share for the current year.

Valero Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 3rd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, August 1st were issued a $1.07 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, August 1st. This represents a $4.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.07%. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 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.