Threadgill Financial LLC Reduces Stock Position in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Threadgill Financial LLC cut its stake in shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 49.6% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 10,685 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 10,500 shares during the period. Valero Energy comprises approximately 0.8% of Threadgill Financial LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 22nd largest position. Threadgill Financial LLC’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $1,824,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Valero Energy during the 3rd quarter valued at about $1,649,000. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. increased its holdings in Valero Energy by 20.7% during the third quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 273,270 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $38,725,000 after buying an additional 46,957 shares during the last quarter. Interchange Capital Partners LLC bought a new position in Valero Energy in the third quarter worth approximately $225,000. Provence Wealth Management Group purchased a new position in shares of Valero Energy during the 3rd quarter worth $326,000. Finally, Clear Street Markets LLC grew its position in shares of Valero Energy by 60.2% during the 3rd quarter. Clear Street Markets LLC now owns 3,000 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $425,000 after acquiring an additional 1,127 shares during the period. 78.69% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on VLO shares. Piper Sandler lowered their target price on Valero Energy from $187.00 to $169.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, June 14th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on Valero Energy from $184.00 to $179.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, June 6th. Barclays decreased their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $179.00 to $173.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 30th. UBS Group upped their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $167.00 to $197.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 26th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $130.00 to $171.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a research report on Friday, March 22nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $172.00.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Kimberly S. Greene sold 720 shares of Valero Energy stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $158.12, for a total transaction of $113,846.40. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 13,314 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,105,209.68. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Insiders own 0.04% of the company’s stock.

Valero Energy Price Performance

NYSE:VLO traded down $2.26 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $150.21. The stock had a trading volume of 6,935,161 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,128,737. The stock has a market capitalization of $49.12 billion, a PE ratio of 7.44, a PEG ratio of 1.44 and a beta of 1.47. Valero Energy Co. has a 52 week low of $108.28 and a 52 week high of $184.79. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $158.64 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $149.03. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a current ratio of 1.59.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The oil and gas company reported $3.82 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.18 by $0.64. The company had revenue of $31.76 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $32.02 billion. Valero Energy had a net margin of 5.01% and a return on equity of 24.82%. Valero Energy’s revenue was down 12.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $8.27 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Valero Energy Co. will post 17.32 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 28th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 30th will be given a $1.07 dividend. This represents a $4.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.85%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 30th. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 21.20%.

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.