3,461 Valero Energy Corporation $VLO Shares Sold by Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC

Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC cut its position in shares of Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO) by 12.6% in the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 23,930 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 3,461 shares during the period. Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $9,276,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Bank of America Corp DE increased its holdings in Valero Energy by 11.4% in the first quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 5,033,310 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $1,243,630,000 after buying an additional 516,975 shares during the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its position in Valero Energy by 9.4% in the first quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 2,969,320 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $733,660,000 after acquiring an additional 254,604 shares in the last quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership grew its position in Valero Energy by 18.4% in the first quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 2,842,339 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $702,285,000 after acquiring an additional 442,177 shares in the last quarter. Amundi grew its position in Valero Energy by 45.3% in the first quarter. Amundi now owns 2,584,976 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $638,695,000 after acquiring an additional 806,018 shares in the last quarter. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC increased its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 33.9% during the 2nd quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 2,058,341 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $536,074,000 after purchasing an additional 520,642 shares during the last quarter. 78.69% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

VLO has been the subject of several analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $339.00 to $439.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 8th. Mizuho increased their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $434.00 to $436.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, November 2nd. UBS Group restated a “buy” rating and set a $467.00 target price (up from $355.00) on shares of Valero Energy in a report on Tuesday, October 6th. Raymond James Financial increased their price objective on Valero Energy from $450.00 to $530.00 in a report on Monday, October 19th. Finally, Erste Group Bank downgraded Valero Energy from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 27th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $406.32.

More Valero Energy News

Here are the key news stories impacting Valero Energy this week:

• Positive Sentiment: A recent analysis cited Valero’s access to lower-cost heavy crude, strong refining margins, balance sheet and valuation as reasons it may remain attractive. Valero Energy Surges 113% YTD: Should Investors Bet on the Momentum?
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks included VLO in its Strong Buy growth-stock selections, adding to the bullish analyst coverage from the prior day. Best Growth Stocks to Buy for November 9th
• Positive Sentiment: Another Zacks article named Valero among five growth stocks to consider, supporting the view that its refining performance could continue to benefit investors. Buy 5 Growth Stocks to Enhance Your Portfolio Returns in November
• Negative Sentiment: Cramer said Valero’s two-year refining-cycle rally may have run its course and advised shareholders to take profits before margins normalize further. This is an opinion-based sell call, not a change in the company’s reported fundamentals, but it may add near-term pressure to the stock. Cramer Recommends Selling Valero Energy Stock

Valero Energy Trading Down 1.8%

Shares of Valero Energy stock opened at $350.17 on Wednesday. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $399.49 and its 200-day simple moving average is $291.27. The company has a market cap of $97.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.88, a PEG 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 Corporation has a 1 year low of $159.90 and a 1 year high of $461.52.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, October 22nd. The oil and gas company reported $23.90 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $21.17 by $2.73. The business had revenue of $46.10 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $42.71 billion. Valero Energy had a net margin of 8.44% and a return on equity of 45.90%. Valero Energy’s revenue was up 43.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $3.66 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Valero Energy Corporation will post 57.83 EPS for the current year.

Valero Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 21st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, November 24th will be issued a dividend of $1.20 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, November 24th. This represents a $4.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.4%. Valero Energy’s payout ratio is presently 10.80%.

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.