Annex Advisory Services LLC Cuts Stock Holdings in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Annex Advisory Services LLC cut its stake in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO - Free Report) by 8.8% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 51,424 shares of the oil and gas company's stock after selling 4,992 shares during the period. Annex Advisory Services LLC's holdings in Valero Energy were worth $6,304,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its holdings in Valero Energy by 4,908.0% in the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 2,850,526 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $384,907,000 after acquiring an additional 2,793,607 shares in the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC lifted 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 worth $145,339,000 after purchasing an additional 1,066,923 shares in the last quarter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund grew its position in Valero Energy by 900.2% in the 3rd quarter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund now owns 631,095 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $85,217,000 after purchasing an additional 568,000 shares during the period. Pacer Advisors Inc. increased its stake in Valero Energy by 18.8% during the 3rd quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 3,585,166 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $484,105,000 after purchasing an additional 567,059 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Valero Energy during the third quarter worth $70,352,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.69% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on VLO shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $172.00 to $151.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, October 2nd. TD Cowen decreased their price objective on Valero Energy from $145.00 to $140.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Friday, October 25th. BMO Capital Markets cut their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $175.00 to $165.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock 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. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $165.00 to $160.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Monday, December 9th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $154.57.

Valero Energy Trading Up 1.3 %

Shares of NYSE:VLO traded up $1.84 on Monday, reaching $141.21. 2,531,248 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,560,424. Valero Energy Co. has a 52 week low of $116.84 and a 52 week high of $184.79. The company has a current ratio of 1.57, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $131.25 and its 200 day simple moving average is $138.20. The stock has a market capitalization of $44.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.66, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.43 and a beta of 1.42.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The oil and gas company reported $1.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.98 by $0.16. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 13.07% and a net margin of 2.74%. The firm had revenue of $32.88 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $31.04 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $7.49 earnings per share. The business's revenue was down 14.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Valero Energy Co. will post 7.96 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 3rd. Investors of record on Thursday, January 30th will be paid a $1.13 dividend. This is an increase from Valero Energy's previous quarterly dividend of $1.07. This represents a $4.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.20%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, January 30th. Valero Energy's dividend payout ratio is presently 38.39%.

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.