Lmcg Investments LLC Sells 9,889 Shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Lmcg Investments LLC reduced its stake in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO - Free Report) by 12.2% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 71,300 shares of the oil and gas company's stock after selling 9,889 shares during the quarter. Lmcg Investments LLC's holdings in Valero Energy were worth $9,628,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. International Assets Investment Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Valero Energy by 11,318.9% during the third 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 buying an additional 1,066,923 shares during the period. Acadian Asset Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 37.6% during the 1st quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 1,558,750 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $266,040,000 after acquiring an additional 426,093 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 5.8% in the second 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 purchasing an additional 237,347 shares during the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Valero Energy by 17.6% in the second quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 1,550,010 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $238,841,000 after purchasing an additional 232,494 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Westwood Holdings Group Inc. acquired a new position in Valero Energy during the first quarter worth $39,517,000. 78.69% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Valero Energy Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:VLO traded down $1.54 on Friday, reaching $128.22. 2,169,961 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,574,284. The company has a current ratio of 1.57, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. Valero Energy Co. has a twelve month low of $119.88 and a twelve month high of $184.79. The company has a fifty day moving average of $136.69 and a 200-day moving average of $148.42. The company has a market capitalization of $41.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.50, a PEG ratio of 2.32 and a beta of 1.39.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 24th. The oil and gas company reported $1.14 earnings per share 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 during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $31.04 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $7.49 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was down 14.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts predict that Valero Energy Co. will post 9.32 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 20th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, November 20th will be issued a $1.07 dividend. This represents a $4.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.34%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, November 20th. Valero Energy's dividend payout ratio is currently 38.39%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have commented on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group cut their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $149.00 to $131.00 and set a "sell" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, September 16th. TD Cowen dropped their target price on Valero Energy from $145.00 to $140.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, October 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on Valero Energy from $172.00 to $151.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, October 2nd. Barclays dropped their price objective on Valero Energy from $165.00 to $146.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, October 2nd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised shares of Valero Energy from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and decreased their target price for the company from $172.00 to $165.00 in a research note on Wednesday, October 9th. 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's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $156.29.

About Valero Energy

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.