Cerity Partners LLC Decreases Stake in Valero Energy Corporation $VLO

Cerity Partners LLC lessened its holdings in shares of Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO) by 7.3% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 96,221 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 7,609 shares during the period. Cerity Partners LLC’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $12,934,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of VLO. Aigen Investment Management LP purchased a new position in Valero Energy during the first quarter worth approximately $268,000. Public Sector Pension Investment Board increased its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 3.0% in the 1st quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 84,637 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $11,178,000 after acquiring an additional 2,450 shares during the last quarter. Stone House Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Valero Energy during the 1st quarter worth $50,000. Arrowpoint Investment Partners Singapore Pte. Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of Valero Energy during the 1st quarter worth $353,000. Finally, Resona Asset Management Co. Ltd. boosted its position in shares of Valero Energy by 7.9% during the 1st quarter. Resona Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 103,462 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $13,654,000 after acquiring an additional 7,547 shares during the last quarter. 78.69% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Valero Energy Trading Up 0.4%

VLO opened at $176.09 on Thursday. Valero Energy Corporation has a 52 week low of $99.00 and a 52 week high of $185.62. The company has a quick ratio of 1.09, a current ratio of 1.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $170.83 and a 200-day simple moving average of $153.92. The firm has a market cap of $53.71 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.76, a P/E/G ratio of 0.89 and a beta of 0.76.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, October 23rd. The oil and gas company reported $3.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.15 by $0.51. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 8.69% and a net margin of 1.21%.The firm had revenue of $32.17 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $28.80 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.14 EPS. Valero Energy’s revenue was down 2.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts expect that Valero Energy Corporation will post 7.92 earnings per share for the current year.

Valero Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 18th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, November 20th will be paid a $1.13 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, November 20th. This represents a $4.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.6%. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 94.36%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Valero Energy

In related news, CFO Jason W. Fraser sold 9,933 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $174.02, for a total transaction of $1,728,540.66. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 134,196 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $23,352,787.92. This represents a 6.89% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.04% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

VLO has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. UBS Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $183.00 target price on shares of Valero Energy in a research note on Friday, October 24th. Evercore ISI lifted their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $135.00 to $185.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a research report on Friday, September 19th. Bank of America upgraded Valero Energy from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $152.00 to $179.00 in a research report on Wednesday, September 3rd. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Valero Energy in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on Valero Energy from $216.00 to $220.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, November 10th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $182.00.

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.