Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. Sells 10,241 Shares of Valero Energy Corporation $VLO

Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. decreased its holdings in Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO) by 11.8% in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 76,235 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 10,241 shares during the period. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc.’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $18,722,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in VLO. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Valero Energy in the fourth quarter worth $1,111,542,000. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership purchased a new stake in Valero Energy during the third quarter valued at about $275,239,000. Pacer Advisors Inc. grew its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 2,635.7% during the fourth quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 950,527 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $154,736,000 after buying an additional 915,782 shares during the last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 49.3% in the 4th quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 1,696,811 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $276,224,000 after acquiring an additional 560,116 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its holdings in Valero Energy by 7.5% during the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 5,668,210 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $922,728,000 after acquiring an additional 394,693 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Valero Energy Stock Up 0.1%

Shares of NYSE VLO opened at $267.99 on Monday. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $249.73 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $221.00. Valero Energy Corporation has a 12 month low of $130.78 and a 12 month high of $274.92. The company has a current ratio of 1.58, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39. The firm has a market capitalization of $79.57 billion, a PE ratio of 19.48, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.37 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 for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.16 by $1.06. Valero Energy had a net margin of 3.37% and a return on equity of 15.94%. The firm had revenue of $32.38 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $31.38 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.89 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts expect that Valero Energy Corporation will post 28.37 earnings per share for the current year.

Valero Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 23rd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 21st were given a dividend of $1.20 per share. This represents a $4.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, May 21st. Valero Energy’s payout ratio is presently 34.88%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Valero Energy news, SVP Eric A. Fisher sold 7,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $268.17, for a total transaction of $2,011,275.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 19,742 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,294,212.14. This represents a 27.53% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.36% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have commented on the company. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on Valero Energy from $230.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, April 6th. Scotiabank increased their price objective on Valero Energy from $178.00 to $226.00 and gave the company a “sector outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 22nd. Zacks Research cut shares of Valero Energy from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, June 22nd. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $203.00 to $237.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 12th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $220.00 to $292.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 31st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $247.59.

Valero Energy 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.