IFP Advisors Inc Sells 373 Shares of Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO)

IFP Advisors Inc lowered its position in Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO) by 3.9% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 9,283 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 373 shares during the quarter. IFP Advisors Inc’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $1,226,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Valero Energy during the 4th quarter worth about $669,400,000. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 15,395.5% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,355,699 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $179,047,000 after purchasing an additional 1,346,950 shares during the last quarter. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH bought a new stake in shares of Valero Energy during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $98,376,000. Northern Trust Corp grew its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 15.9% during the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 3,850,859 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $472,077,000 after purchasing an additional 529,513 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD grew its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 22.5% during the 4th quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 2,864,418 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $351,151,000 after purchasing an additional 525,255 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Valero Energy Stock Up 1.7%

Shares of Valero Energy stock opened at $147.52 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a current ratio of 1.56 and a quick ratio of 1.09. The stock has a market cap of $46.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 52.13, a PEG ratio of 2.53 and a beta of 1.00. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $137.43 and its two-hundred day moving average is $130.55. Valero Energy Corporation has a 1 year low of $99.00 and a 1 year high of $167.78.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The oil and gas company reported $0.89 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.16 by ($0.27). The firm had revenue of $28.76 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $28.54 billion. Valero Energy had a net margin of 0.72% and a return on equity of 6.30%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 4.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $3.82 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts expect that Valero Energy Corporation will post 7.92 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 2nd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, July 31st will be given a dividend of $1.13 per share. This represents a $4.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.06%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, July 31st. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 159.72%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on VLO shares. Wolfe Research downgraded shares of Valero Energy from an “outperform” rating to a “peer perform” rating in a research report on Monday, July 14th. Evercore ISI initiated coverage on shares of Valero Energy in a research note on Wednesday, June 18th. They issued an “in-line” rating and a $135.00 target price for the company. Scotiabank reduced their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $156.00 to $136.00 and set a “sector outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, April 11th. Raymond James Financial upped their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $155.00 to $172.00 and gave the stock a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 15th. Finally, UBS Group upped their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $150.00 to $164.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 8th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $153.80.

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.