Ameritas Investment Partners Inc. Cuts Holdings in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Ameritas Investment Partners Inc. lessened its stake in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 1.6% in the first quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 6,184 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 100 shares during the quarter. Ameritas Investment Partners Inc.’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $1,056,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Collective Family Office LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 1.5% in the 1st quarter. Collective Family Office LLC now owns 4,040 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $690,000 after acquiring an additional 58 shares during the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc raised its holdings in Valero Energy by 4.7% during the 1st quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 1,327 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $227,000 after buying an additional 59 shares during the last quarter. Covenant Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in Valero Energy by 0.4% during the 1st quarter. Covenant Asset Management LLC now owns 14,659 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $2,502,000 after buying an additional 64 shares during the last quarter. Drive Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in Valero Energy by 1.1% during the 1st quarter. Drive Wealth Management LLC now owns 5,797 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $990,000 after buying an additional 65 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Aua Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in Valero Energy by 3.1% during the 1st quarter. Aua Capital Management LLC now owns 2,261 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $386,000 after buying an additional 67 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Valero Energy Stock Down 1.4 %

Shares of NYSE:VLO traded down $2.15 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $146.87. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 1,792,837 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,065,786. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $154.13 and a 200-day moving average of $152.66. The firm has a market capitalization of $48.03 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.38, a PEG ratio of 1.80 and a beta of 1.42. The company has a quick ratio of 1.10, a current ratio of 1.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. Valero Energy Co. has a 12-month low of $119.88 and a 12-month high of $184.79.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 25th. The oil and gas company reported $3.82 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.18 by $0.64. Valero Energy had a net margin of 5.01% and a return on equity of 24.82%. The company had revenue of $31.76 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $32.02 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $8.27 EPS. Valero Energy’s revenue for the quarter was down 12.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts anticipate that Valero Energy Co. will post 13.74 earnings per share for the current year.

Valero Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 3rd. Investors of record on Thursday, August 1st will be given a dividend of $1.07 per share. This represents a $4.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.91%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 1st. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 21.20%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on the stock. Wolfe Research assumed coverage on shares of Valero Energy in a report on Thursday, July 18th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $177.00 price target for the company. Scotiabank upped their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $165.00 to $173.00 and gave the stock a “sector outperform” rating in a report on Friday, July 12th. Piper Sandler decreased their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $187.00 to $169.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, June 14th. Citigroup upped their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $160.00 to $192.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, April 18th. Finally, UBS Group upped their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $167.00 to $197.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 26th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $171.47.

Insider Activity at Valero Energy

In other Valero Energy news, Director Kimberly S. Greene sold 720 shares of the company’s 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 transaction, the director now owns 13,314 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,105,209.68. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.04% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.