Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) Shares Sold by Castleark Management LLC

Castleark Management LLC reduced its holdings in shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO - Free Report) by 92.8% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 3,230 shares of the oil and gas company's stock after selling 41,930 shares during the period. Castleark Management LLC's holdings in Valero Energy were worth $436,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. EdgeRock Capital LLC purchased a new stake in Valero Energy during the 2nd quarter worth about $27,000. Summit Securities Group LLC purchased a new position in Valero Energy in the second quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Peterson Financial Group Inc. acquired a new stake in Valero Energy during the third quarter worth approximately $28,000. Compagnie Lombard Odier SCmA purchased a new stake in shares of Valero Energy during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $34,000. Finally, Triad Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Valero Energy in the 2nd quarter valued at $39,000. 78.69% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on VLO shares. Piper Sandler cut shares of Valero Energy from an "overweight" rating to a "neutral" rating and reduced their price target for the company from $169.00 to $123.00 in a research report on Friday, September 20th. Bank of America assumed coverage on Valero Energy in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. They set a "neutral" rating and a $150.00 price target on the stock. Citigroup reduced 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. Barclays cut their price target on Valero Energy from $146.00 to $140.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, November 11th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upgraded shares of Valero Energy from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and lowered their price objective for the company from $172.00 to $165.00 in a research report on Wednesday, October 9th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $155.86.

Valero Energy Price Performance

VLO stock traded down $1.53 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $131.52. 1,984,251 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,163,169. The stock has a market cap of $41.64 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.80, a PEG ratio of 2.47 and a beta of 1.39. Valero Energy Co. has a fifty-two week low of $120.21 and a fifty-two week high of $184.79. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $136.98 and its 200-day moving average price is $144.23. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a current ratio of 1.57.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 24th. The oil and gas company reported $1.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.98 by $0.16. The firm had revenue of $32.88 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $31.04 billion. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 13.07% and a net margin of 2.74%. The company's quarterly revenue was down 14.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $7.49 EPS. Research analysts predict that Valero Energy Co. will post 8.89 earnings per share for the current year.

Valero Energy Announces Dividend

The company 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 dividend of $1.07 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, November 20th. This represents a $4.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.25%. Valero Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 38.39%.

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.