Swiss National Bank Sells 50,100 Shares of Valero Energy Corporation $VLO

Swiss National Bank cut its stake in shares of Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO) by 5.3% during the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 902,800 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 50,100 shares during the quarter. Swiss National Bank’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $153,711,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Highline Wealth Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 70.2% in the third quarter. Highline Wealth Partners LLC now owns 160 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 66 shares during the period. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates bought a new position in shares of Valero Energy during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Cypress Capital Management LLC WY bought a new position in shares of Valero Energy during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in Valero Energy by 145.3% in the 3rd quarter. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 211 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $36,000 after acquiring an additional 125 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Evolution Wealth Management Inc. bought a new stake in Valero Energy during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $43,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Valero Energy Trading Down 3.9%

VLO opened at $215.96 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $64.58 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.27, a P/E/G ratio of 1.17 and a beta of 0.70. Valero Energy Corporation has a 12 month low of $99.00 and a 12 month high of $232.99. The company has a current ratio of 1.64, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $192.66 and a 200 day moving average of $175.73.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 29th. The oil and gas company reported $3.82 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.27 by $0.55. The business had revenue of $30.37 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $28.20 billion. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 12.35% and a net margin of 1.91%.The company’s quarterly revenue was down 1.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.64 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts forecast that Valero Energy Corporation will post 7.92 EPS for the current year.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 9th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, February 5th were given a dividend of $1.20 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 5th. This represents a $4.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.2%. This is an increase from Valero Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.13. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 62.83%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have weighed in on VLO. Erste Group Bank started coverage on shares of Valero Energy in a report on Monday, November 10th. They set a “buy” rating on the stock. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Valero Energy in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $197.00 to $200.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Bank of America reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $195.00 price target (down from $198.00) on shares of Valero Energy in a research note on Thursday, December 11th. Finally, Citigroup raised their price target on Valero Energy from $190.00 to $212.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, February 9th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating and ten have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Valero Energy has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $187.67.

Valero Energy Company Profile

Valero Energy Corporation is a San Antonio, Texas–based integrated downstream energy company that manufactures and markets transportation fuels, petrochemical feedstocks and other industrial products. The company’s operations focus on refining crude oil into finished fuels such as gasoline, diesel and jet fuel, as well as producing asphalt and other refined product streams for commercial and industrial customers.

In addition to refining, Valero has significant operations in renewable fuels, including the production of ethanol and other biofuels, and it manages an extensive logistics network of pipelines, terminals, rail and marine assets to move feedstocks and finished products.