National Bank of Canada FI Cuts Stake in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

National Bank of Canada FI lessened its position in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 54.3% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 132,794 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 157,724 shares during the period. National Bank of Canada FI’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $20,733,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in VLO. Rise Advisors LLC bought a new position in Valero Energy during the 1st quarter valued at about $33,000. BKM Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Valero Energy during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $26,000. First Foundation Advisors purchased a new stake in Valero Energy in the 1st quarter worth approximately $37,000. Wetzel Investment Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in Valero Energy during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Finally, DT Investment Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Valero Energy during the 4th quarter valued at $45,000. 78.69% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Valero Energy

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently issued reports on the company. Scotiabank increased their target price on Valero Energy from $165.00 to $173.00 and gave the stock a “sector outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, July 12th. StockNews.com lowered shares of Valero Energy from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 17th. Mizuho raised shares of Valero Energy from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and upped their price target for the company from $165.00 to $175.00 in a research note on Wednesday, July 17th. Barclays reduced their price objective on Valero Energy from $171.00 to $165.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, July 9th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $178.00 to $172.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, July 2nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Valero Energy presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $171.47.

Valero Energy Stock Up 5.0 %

NYSE:VLO traded up $7.39 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $156.21. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 1,884,583 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,061,998. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a current ratio of 1.59. The company has a market capitalization of $51.08 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.37, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 1.42. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $153.77 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $152.76. Valero Energy Co. has a 12 month low of $119.88 and a 12 month high of $184.79.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 25th. The oil and gas company reported $2.71 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.60 by $0.11. The firm had revenue of $34.49 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $32.97 billion. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 24.82% and a net margin of 5.01%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down .1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $5.40 EPS. Equities analysts predict that Valero Energy Co. will post 13.18 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 3rd. Investors of record on Thursday, August 1st will be issued a $1.07 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 1st. This represents a $4.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.74%. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 21.20%.

About Valero Energy

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.