Valero Energy Corporation $VLO Stock Sold by Paradigm Asset Management Co. LLC

Paradigm Asset Management Co. LLC lessened its position in Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO) by 10.2% in the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 12,300 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 1,400 shares during the period. Valero Energy makes up about 1.1% of Paradigm Asset Management Co. LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 16th largest position. Paradigm Asset Management Co. LLC’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $4,768,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Balance Wealth Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Valero Energy in the 3rd quarter worth $32,000. Latitude Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Valero Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at $34,000. Cornerstone Financial Management LLC increased its stake in Valero Energy by 57.6% during the 2nd quarter. Cornerstone Financial Management LLC now owns 104 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares in the last quarter. Mascoma Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in Valero Energy by 1,980.0% during the 3rd quarter. Mascoma Wealth Management LLC now owns 104 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $40,000 after purchasing an additional 99 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Signature Equity Partners LLC raised its holdings in Valero Energy by 126.8% during the third quarter. Signature Equity Partners LLC now owns 127 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $49,000 after buying an additional 71 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Valero Energy Trading Up 3.9%

Shares of Valero Energy stock opened at $364.23 on Thursday. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $399.54 and a 200 day simple moving average of $292.16. Valero Energy Corporation has a 12-month low of $159.90 and a 12-month high of $461.52. The company has a market capitalization of $101.58 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.19, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.18 and a beta of 0.58. The company has a current ratio of 1.72, a quick ratio of 1.33 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 22nd. The oil and gas company reported $23.90 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $21.17 by $2.73. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 45.90% and a net margin of 8.44%. The business had revenue of $46.10 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $42.71 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $3.66 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 43.3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Valero Energy Corporation will post 58.33 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 21st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, November 24th will be paid a $1.20 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, November 24th. This represents a $4.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.3%. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 10.80%.

Key Headlines Impacting Valero Energy

Here are a few of the latest headlines about VLO:

• Positive Sentiment: The board affirmed Valero’s regular $1.20-per-share quarterly dividend, payable December 21 to shareholders of record November 24. The article also points to discounted heavy crude, favorable freight rates, and renewable-fuels operations as potential business supports. Article: How Investors May Respond to Valero Energy Dividend Affirmation
• Neutral Sentiment: A MarketWatch report said VLO underperformed competitors on Tuesday, a relative-performance note that may weigh on sentiment but does not identify a new company-specific development. Article: Valero Energy Stock Underperforms Tuesday Compared with Competitors
• Negative Sentiment: Jim Cramer advised investors to sell, arguing that Valero’s refining-cycle rally may be over and that margins could normalize further. This is a caution about the cycle and profit-taking, rather than a reported change in Valero’s operations. Article: Cramer Recommends Selling Valero Energy Stock

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have weighed in on VLO. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $485.00 to $489.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, October 23rd. Bank of America boosted their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $395.00 to $414.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, October 2nd. Evercore decreased their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $385.00 to $325.00 in a research report on Wednesday, October 28th. Dbs Bank lowered shares of Valero Energy to a “hold” rating and set a $436.00 target price on the stock. in a report on Monday, October 19th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $457.00 to $496.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, October 9th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Valero Energy has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $406.32.

Valero Energy Company Profile

Valero Energy Corporation is an international refiner and producer of transportation fuels and other petroleum products, headquartered in San Antonio, Texas. Its refining business processes crude oil and other feedstocks into products such as gasoline, diesel, jet fuel, asphalt and petrochemical feedstocks. The company markets and distributes fuels to wholesale customers and through branded distribution networks. Its refining operations span the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom, with products serving customers in North America and other markets.