Valero Energy Corporation $VLO Shares Sold by Paradigm Asset Management Co. LLC

Paradigm Asset Management Co. LLC trimmed its holdings in shares of Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO) by 10.2% in the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 12,300 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 1,400 shares during the quarter. Valero Energy accounts for about 1.1% of Paradigm Asset Management Co. LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 16th largest position. Paradigm Asset Management Co. LLC’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $4,768,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the business. Blue Zone Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in Valero Energy by 2.4% in the third quarter. Blue Zone Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,027 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $398,000 after purchasing an additional 24 shares during the last quarter. Grove Bank & Trust increased its position in shares of Valero Energy by 1.0% during the 3rd quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 2,608 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $1,011,000 after purchasing an additional 25 shares during the last quarter. 180 Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Valero Energy by 0.5% during the 3rd quarter. 180 Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 5,317 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $2,061,000 after purchasing an additional 28 shares during the last quarter. Sigma Planning Corp increased its position in shares of Valero Energy by 0.4% during the 3rd quarter. Sigma Planning Corp now owns 7,171 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $2,779,000 after purchasing an additional 29 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Modera Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 3.7% during the 3rd quarter. Modera Wealth Management LLC now owns 956 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $370,000 after purchasing an additional 34 shares during the period. 78.69% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on VLO shares. UBS Group reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $467.00 price target (up from $355.00) on shares of Valero Energy in a report on Tuesday, October 6th. Raymond James Financial raised their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $450.00 to $530.00 in a report on Monday, October 19th. Freedom Broker downgraded shares of Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating and set a $276.00 price objective for the company. in a report on Friday, October 23rd. Zacks Research raised shares of Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 4th. Finally, Piper Sandler boosted their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $329.00 to $435.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, September 3rd. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $406.32.

Valero Energy Price Performance

Shares of NYSE VLO opened at $364.23 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 1.72, a quick ratio of 1.33 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $399.54 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $292.16. Valero Energy Corporation has a 1-year low of $159.90 and a 1-year high of $461.52. The firm has a market cap of $101.58 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.19, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.18 and a beta of 0.58.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, October 22nd. The oil and gas company reported $23.90 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $21.17 by $2.73. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 45.90% and a net margin of 8.44%. The firm had revenue of $46.10 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $42.71 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $3.66 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 43.3% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts anticipate that Valero Energy Corporation will post 58.33 earnings per share for the current year.

Valero Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 21st. Investors of record on Tuesday, November 24th will be issued a $1.20 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, November 24th. This represents a $4.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.3%. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 10.80%.

Latest Valero Energy News

These are some of the VLO news items that stood out recently:

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks highlighted Valero for above-average financial growth and included VLO among its Rank #1 (Strong Buy) growth stocks, potentially reinforcing the bullish case for earnings prospects. Article: 3 Reasons Why Growth Investors Shouldn’t Overlook Valero Energy Article: Best Growth Stocks to Buy for November 11th
• Positive Sentiment: The board affirmed Valero’s regular $1.20-per-share quarterly dividend, payable December 21 to shareholders of record November 24. The article also points to discounted heavy crude, favorable freight rates, and renewable-fuels operations as potential business supports. Article: How Investors May Respond to Valero Energy Dividend Affirmation
• Neutral Sentiment: A MarketWatch report said VLO underperformed competitors on Tuesday, a relative-performance note that may weigh on sentiment but does not identify a new company-specific development. Article: Valero Energy Stock Underperforms Tuesday Compared with Competitors

About Valero Energy

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.