Swiss National Bank Lowers Stake in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Swiss National Bank trimmed its position in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO - Free Report) by 0.5% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 970,600 shares of the oil and gas company's stock after selling 4,800 shares during the quarter. Swiss National Bank owned about 0.30% of Valero Energy worth $131,060,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of VLO. International Assets Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 11,318.9% in 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 acquiring an additional 1,066,923 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised 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 during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC raised 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 during the period. Westwood Holdings Group Inc. acquired a new position in Valero Energy during the 1st quarter worth $39,517,000. Finally, Hsbc Holdings PLC grew its stake in Valero Energy by 20.5% during the 2nd quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 1,145,117 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $179,490,000 after purchasing an additional 194,974 shares in the last quarter. 78.69% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Valero Energy Trading Up 2.7 %

Valero Energy stock traded up $3.85 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $144.01. 2,458,255 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,947,148. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $135.83 and its 200 day moving average price is $146.35. The firm has a market capitalization of $45.59 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.57, a P/E/G ratio of 2.57 and a beta of 1.39. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a current ratio of 1.57 and a quick ratio of 1.11. Valero Energy Co. has a 52-week low of $120.21 and a 52-week high of $184.79.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The oil and gas company reported $1.14 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.98 by $0.16. Valero Energy had a net margin of 2.74% and a return on equity of 13.07%. The firm had revenue of $32.88 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $31.04 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $7.49 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was down 14.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts anticipate that Valero Energy Co. will post 9.1 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 20th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, November 20th will be given a dividend of $1.07 per share. This represents a $4.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.97%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, November 20th. Valero Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 38.39%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on VLO shares. Piper Sandler cut Valero Energy from an "overweight" rating to a "neutral" rating and lowered their price objective for the stock from $169.00 to $123.00 in a research report on Friday, September 20th. BMO Capital Markets cut their target price on Valero Energy from $175.00 to $165.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, October 4th. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their target price on Valero Energy from $149.00 to $131.00 and set a "sell" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, September 16th. Mizuho cut their target price on Valero Energy from $175.00 to $171.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, September 16th. Finally, Bank of America initiated coverage on Valero Energy in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. They set a "neutral" rating and a $150.00 target price on the stock. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $155.86.

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.