Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) Shares Sold by Garde Capital Inc.

Garde Capital Inc. lessened its stake in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 12.7% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 885 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 129 shares during the quarter. Garde Capital Inc.’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $151,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Rise Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Valero Energy during the 1st quarter worth about $33,000. First Foundation Advisors purchased a new stake in Valero Energy in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $37,000. LRI Investments LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Valero Energy during the 1st quarter worth approximately $39,000. Wetzel Investment Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Valero Energy during the 4th quarter worth approximately $36,000. Finally, DT Investment Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Valero Energy during the 4th quarter worth approximately $45,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Kimberly S. Greene sold 720 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $158.12, for a total transaction of $113,846.40. Following 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 SEC, which is accessible through this link. 0.04% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms recently issued reports on VLO. Scotiabank upped their target price on Valero Energy from $165.00 to $173.00 and gave the company a “sector outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, July 12th. Barclays lowered their target price on Valero Energy from $171.00 to $165.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, July 9th. Citigroup raised their target price on Valero Energy from $160.00 to $192.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 18th. StockNews.com downgraded Valero Energy from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 17th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on Valero Energy from $178.00 to $172.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, July 2nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $174.00.

Valero Energy Stock Down 5.0 %

Shares of VLO stock traded down $7.89 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $148.56. 3,457,861 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,709,691. The company has a market capitalization of $48.58 billion, a PE ratio of 7.36, a PEG ratio of 2.99 and a beta of 1.42. Valero Energy Co. has a 52 week low of $119.88 and a 52 week high of $184.79. The business has a 50 day moving average of $153.10 and a two-hundred day moving average of $154.00. The company has a current ratio of 1.48, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 25th. The oil and gas company reported $2.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.60 by $0.11. The firm had revenue of $34.49 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $32.97 billion. Valero Energy had a net margin of 4.25% and a return on equity of 21.01%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down .1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $5.40 earnings per share. Analysts anticipate that Valero Energy Co. will post 13.06 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 3rd. Investors of record on Thursday, August 1st will be paid 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 payout ratio is 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.