Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) Stake Lessened by Kentucky Retirement Systems

Kentucky Retirement Systems cut its stake in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 5.1% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 25,855 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 1,385 shares during the period. Kentucky Retirement Systems’ holdings in Valero Energy were worth $4,413,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD boosted its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 3.3% in the first quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 2,063,923 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $352,292,000 after acquiring an additional 65,632 shares in the last quarter. BOKF NA boosted its holdings in Valero Energy by 402.7% during the first quarter. BOKF NA now owns 17,303 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $2,987,000 after buying an additional 13,861 shares in the last quarter. Steel Grove Capital Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Valero Energy during the first quarter worth approximately $256,000. Hyperion Capital Advisors LP bought a new stake in Valero Energy during the first quarter worth approximately $321,000. Finally, LRI Investments LLC bought a new stake in Valero Energy during the first quarter worth approximately $39,000. 78.69% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Valero Energy Stock Up 1.4 %

VLO stock traded up $2.12 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $159.12. The company had a trading volume of 3,151,478 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,537,062. Valero Energy Co. has a 1 year low of $119.88 and a 1 year high of $184.79. The company has a current ratio of 1.59, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. The company has a market capitalization of $52.03 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.88, a PEG ratio of 2.01 and a beta of 1.42. The company has a 50 day moving average of $153.61 and a two-hundred day moving average of $153.18.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last released its earnings results on Thursday, July 25th. The oil and gas company reported $2.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.60 by $0.11. The company 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 20.97%. The company’s revenue was down .1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $5.40 EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that Valero Energy Co. will post 13.1 earnings per share 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. Stockholders of record on Thursday, August 1st will be issued a dividend of $1.07 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 1st. This represents a $4.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.69%. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 21.20%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently weighed in on VLO shares. StockNews.com cut shares of Valero Energy from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 17th. Barclays reduced their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $171.00 to $165.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, July 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $178.00 to $172.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, July 2nd. Mizuho upgraded 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 report on Wednesday, July 17th. Finally, Wolfe Research started coverage on shares of Valero Energy in a research report on Thursday, July 18th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $177.00 price target for the company. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $172.07.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Kimberly S. Greene sold 720 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $158.12, for a total transaction of $113,846.40. Following 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 legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.04% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Valero Energy 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.