Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. Sells 7,511 Shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. decreased its stake in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO - Free Report) by 13.0% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 50,177 shares of the oil and gas company's stock after selling 7,511 shares during the quarter. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc.'s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $6,775,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. EdgeRock Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Valero Energy during the 2nd quarter worth about $27,000. Lynx Investment Advisory bought a new position in shares of Valero Energy in the second quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC acquired a new position in shares of Valero Energy in the 1st quarter worth approximately $33,000. Summit Securities Group LLC bought a new stake in Valero Energy during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $31,000. Finally, First Foundation Advisors acquired a new stake in Valero Energy during the 1st quarter valued at $37,000. 78.69% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

VLO has been the subject of a number of research reports. StockNews.com lowered Valero Energy from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 17th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $172.00 to $151.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, October 2nd. The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their target price 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. Wells Fargo & Company raised shares of Valero Energy from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and lowered their price target for the company from $172.00 to $165.00 in a report on Wednesday, October 9th. Finally, Scotiabank reduced their price objective on Valero Energy from $173.00 to $141.00 and set a "sector outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, October 10th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Valero Energy presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $155.86.

Valero Energy Trading Up 0.3 %

NYSE:VLO traded up $0.46 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $140.02. The stock had a trading volume of 2,483,496 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,952,440. The business's 50 day moving average is $135.62 and its 200-day moving average is $146.75. The company has a market cap of $44.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.52, a P/E/G ratio of 2.51 and a beta of 1.39. Valero Energy Co. has a one year low of $120.21 and a one year high of $184.79. 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 posted its earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The oil and gas company reported $1.14 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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 analyst estimates of $31.04 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $7.49 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was down 14.4% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Valero Energy Co. will post 9.1 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Announces Dividend

The business 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 dividend of $1.07 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, November 20th. This represents a $4.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.06%. Valero Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 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.