Moors & Cabot Inc. Reduces Position in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Moors & Cabot Inc. cut its position in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 1.2% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 11,887 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 146 shares during the period. Moors & Cabot Inc.’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $1,605,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. International Assets Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 11,318.9% in the 3rd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 1,076,349 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $145,339,000 after buying an additional 1,066,923 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 5.8% in the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 4,319,436 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $677,007,000 after buying an additional 237,347 shares in the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 17.6% in the 2nd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 1,550,010 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $238,841,000 after buying an additional 232,494 shares in the last quarter. Westwood Holdings Group Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Valero Energy in the 1st quarter valued at $39,517,000. Finally, Hsbc Holdings PLC boosted its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 20.5% in the 2nd quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 1,145,117 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $179,490,000 after buying an additional 194,974 shares in the last quarter. 78.69% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Valero Energy Stock Performance

Shares of VLO opened at $141.20 on Thursday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $136.32 and a 200-day simple moving average of $146.12. The company has a quick ratio of 1.11, a current ratio of 1.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. The company has a market capitalization of $44.70 billion, a PE ratio of 12.66, a P/E/G ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 1.39. Valero Energy Co. has a 52-week low of $120.21 and a 52-week high of $184.79.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The oil and gas company reported $1.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.98 by $0.16. The business had revenue of $32.88 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $31.04 billion. Valero Energy had a net margin of 2.74% and a return on equity of 13.07%. The business’s revenue was down 14.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $7.49 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Valero Energy Co. will post 8.92 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 20th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, November 20th will be issued a $1.07 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, November 20th. This represents a $4.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.03%. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 38.39%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on VLO shares. BMO Capital Markets lowered their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $175.00 to $165.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, October 4th. Citigroup lowered their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $192.00 to $176.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, October 25th. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded shares of Valero Energy from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and lowered their target price for the company from $172.00 to $165.00 in a report on Wednesday, October 9th. TD Cowen decreased their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $145.00 to $140.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Finally, Scotiabank decreased their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $173.00 to $141.00 and set a “sector outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, October 10th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $155.86.

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.