Mediolanum International Funds Ltd Cuts Stock Position in Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO)

Mediolanum International Funds Ltd lowered its holdings in Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO) by 3.0% in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 106,598 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 3,343 shares during the period. Mediolanum International Funds Ltd’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $14,016,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in VLO. Modern Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Valero Energy in the fourth quarter worth $180,000. Financial Counselors Inc. grew its stake in Valero Energy by 2.8% during the 4th quarter. Financial Counselors Inc. now owns 3,897 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $478,000 after purchasing an additional 107 shares in the last quarter. Korea Investment CORP grew its stake in Valero Energy by 23.2% during the 4th quarter. Korea Investment CORP now owns 251,769 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $30,864,000 after purchasing an additional 47,416 shares in the last quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. increased its holdings in Valero Energy by 6.4% during the 4th quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 504,221 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $62,655,000 after purchasing an additional 30,131 shares during the period. Finally, UniSuper Management Pty Ltd raised its position in Valero Energy by 26.4% in the 4th quarter. UniSuper Management Pty Ltd now owns 26,987 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $3,308,000 after purchasing an additional 5,637 shares in the last quarter. 78.69% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Valero Energy Stock Up 1.2%

Valero Energy stock opened at $142.03 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $44.48 billion, a P/E ratio of 59.18, a PEG ratio of 2.91 and a beta of 1.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a quick ratio of 1.09 and a current ratio of 1.56. Valero Energy Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $99.00 and a fifty-two week high of $167.78. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $137.66 and a 200-day simple moving average of $130.84.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 24th. The oil and gas company reported $2.28 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.66 by $0.62. The company had revenue of $29.89 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $27 billion. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 5.74% and a net margin of 0.62%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 13.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.71 earnings per share. Equities research analysts expect that Valero Energy Corporation will post 7.92 earnings per share for the current year.

Valero Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 2nd. Investors of record on Thursday, July 31st will be paid a dividend of $1.13 per share. This represents a $4.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.18%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, July 31st. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 188.33%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on the company. Citigroup downgraded Valero Energy from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and boosted their price objective for the stock from $134.00 to $150.00 in a research report on Wednesday, July 16th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $151.00 to $168.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 9th. TD Cowen lowered shares of Valero Energy from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and raised their price objective for the company from $118.00 to $140.00 in a report on Tuesday, July 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $152.00 to $147.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 28th. Finally, Raymond James Financial raised their price target on Valero Energy from $155.00 to $172.00 and gave the company a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 15th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $153.87.

Valero Energy Company 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.