Valero Energy Corporation $VLO Position Reduced by Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund

Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund decreased its position in shares of Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO) by 34.7% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 162,057 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 86,240 shares during the quarter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $26,381,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. JPL Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Valero Energy during the third quarter worth approximately $27,000. Torren Management LLC bought a new stake in Valero Energy during the fourth quarter worth approximately $30,000. AXS Investments LLC bought a new position in shares of Valero Energy in the fourth quarter valued at $32,000. Triumph Capital Management bought a new position in shares of Valero Energy in the third quarter valued at $35,000. Finally, Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC lifted its position in shares of Valero Energy by 32.9% during the 4th quarter. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC now owns 206 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 51 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Valero Energy Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:VLO opened at $247.12 on Tuesday. The company’s fifty day moving average is $245.57 and its two-hundred day moving average is $213.33. The company has a quick ratio of 1.15, a current ratio of 1.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39. Valero Energy Corporation has a 12-month low of $130.78 and a 12-month high of $265.61. The company has a market cap of $73.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.96, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.38 and a beta of 0.55.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The oil and gas company reported $4.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.16 by $1.06. Valero Energy had a net margin of 3.37% and a return on equity of 15.94%. The company had revenue of $32.38 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $31.38 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.89 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 7.0% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts expect that Valero Energy Corporation will post 26.83 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 23rd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 21st will be issued a dividend of $1.20 per share. This represents a $4.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.9%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 21st. Valero Energy’s payout ratio is currently 34.88%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on the company. Zacks Research upgraded Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. Mizuho increased their price target on Valero Energy from $222.00 to $289.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 27th. BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on Valero Energy from $230.00 to $270.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, April 6th. TD Cowen increased their price target on Valero Energy from $255.00 to $276.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, May 4th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on Valero Energy from $203.00 to $237.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 12th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $245.59.

Valero Energy Company Profile

Valero Energy Corporation is a San Antonio, Texas–based integrated downstream energy company that manufactures and markets transportation fuels, petrochemical feedstocks and other industrial products. The company’s operations focus on refining crude oil into finished fuels such as gasoline, diesel and jet fuel, as well as producing asphalt and other refined product streams for commercial and industrial customers.

In addition to refining, Valero has significant operations in renewable fuels, including the production of ethanol and other biofuels, and it manages an extensive logistics network of pipelines, terminals, rail and marine assets to move feedstocks and finished products.