CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co Sells 34,421 Shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co lessened its stake in shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 9.2% during the first quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 339,058 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 34,421 shares during the quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $57,944,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the stock. BKM Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Valero Energy during the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. Rise Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Valero Energy during the first quarter worth approximately $33,000. Wetzel Investment Advisors Inc. bought a new position in shares of Valero Energy in the 4th quarter worth $36,000. First Foundation Advisors acquired a new stake in Valero Energy in the 1st quarter valued at $37,000. Finally, FSC Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Valero Energy during the 4th quarter valued at $38,000. 78.69% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Valero Energy

In related news, Director Kimberly S. Greene sold 720 shares of Valero Energy stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $158.12, for a total value of $113,846.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly 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 can be accessed through this link. 0.04% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Valero Energy Stock Performance

Valero Energy stock traded up $1.97 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $148.84. The stock had a trading volume of 3,769,761 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,070,781. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $153.77 and its two-hundred day moving average is $152.76. Valero Energy Co. has a 1 year low of $119.88 and a 1 year high of $184.79. The stock has a market cap of $48.67 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.37, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.81 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 (NYSE:VLO) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The oil and gas company reported $3.82 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.18 by $0.64. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 24.82% and a net margin of 5.01%. The firm had revenue of $31.76 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $32.02 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $8.27 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 12.8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts predict that Valero Energy Co. will post 13.74 EPS for the current year.

Valero Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 3rd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, August 1st will be given a $1.07 dividend. This represents a $4.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.88%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 1st. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 21.20%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Scotiabank lifted their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $165.00 to $173.00 and gave the company a “sector outperform” rating in a report on Friday, July 12th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on Valero Energy from $179.00 to $156.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, July 12th. TD Cowen dropped their target price on Valero Energy from $190.00 to $185.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 29th. Citigroup upped their price target on Valero Energy from $160.00 to $192.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, April 18th. Finally, Barclays lowered their price target on Valero Energy from $171.00 to $165.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, July 9th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $171.47.

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.