Stanley Laman Group Ltd. Sells 1,114 Shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Stanley Laman Group Ltd. lessened its stake in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 4.1% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 26,115 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 1,114 shares during the period. Stanley Laman Group Ltd.’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $3,449,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Everhart Financial Group Inc. bought a new position in shares of Valero Energy in the first quarter worth approximately $216,000. Smithbridge Asset Management Inc. DE bought a new stake in Valero Energy in the 1st quarter worth $1,580,000. NorthCrest Asset Manangement LLC increased its position in shares of Valero Energy by 2.7% in the first quarter. NorthCrest Asset Manangement LLC now owns 108,717 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $14,358,000 after acquiring an additional 2,813 shares during the period. Willis Investment Counsel raised its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 55.7% during the first quarter. Willis Investment Counsel now owns 92,000 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $12,150,000 after acquiring an additional 32,900 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Thomasville National Bank boosted its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 1.0% during the first quarter. Thomasville National Bank now owns 34,842 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $4,602,000 after purchasing an additional 336 shares during the period. 78.69% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Valero Energy Stock Down 0.4%

Shares of NYSE:VLO opened at $133.53 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.57, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $121.69 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $127.60. Valero Energy Co. has a 12-month low of $99.00 and a 12-month high of $167.78. The stock has a market capitalization of $41.82 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.75, a PEG ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 0.99.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The oil and gas company reported $0.89 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.16 by ($0.27). The company had revenue of $28.76 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $28.54 billion. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 9.58% and a net margin of 2.13%. Valero Energy’s revenue for the quarter was down 4.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $3.82 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that Valero Energy Co. will post 7.92 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 Wednesday, June 18th. Investors of record on Tuesday, May 20th will be issued a $1.13 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, May 20th. This represents a $4.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.39%. Valero Energy’s payout ratio is currently 159.72%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have commented on VLO. The Goldman Sachs Group raised Valero Energy from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their price target for the company from $127.00 to $154.00 in a research report on Tuesday, May 13th. TD Cowen dropped their price target on Valero Energy from $121.00 to $118.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $160.00 to $145.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. UBS Group dropped their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $160.00 to $150.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 28th. Finally, Barclays boosted their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $140.00 to $141.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, May 12th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $151.93.

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.