Gabelli Funds LLC Sells 10,400 Shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Gabelli Funds LLC lowered its position in shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 15.3% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 57,500 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 10,400 shares during the period. Gabelli Funds LLC’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $9,815,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. CoreCap Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 32.2% during the 4th quarter. CoreCap Advisors LLC now owns 1,867 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $243,000 after acquiring an additional 455 shares during the last quarter. PFG Investments LLC lifted its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 15.1% during the 4th quarter. PFG Investments LLC now owns 2,163 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $281,000 after buying an additional 283 shares in the last quarter. WASHINGTON TRUST Co lifted its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 218.4% during the 4th quarter. WASHINGTON TRUST Co now owns 656 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $85,000 after buying an additional 450 shares in the last quarter. Great Lakes Retirement Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 2.9% during the 4th quarter. Great Lakes Retirement Inc. now owns 8,950 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $1,164,000 after buying an additional 252 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Good Life Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 1.7% during the 4th quarter. Good Life Advisors LLC now owns 7,359 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $957,000 after buying an additional 124 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Valero Energy Trading Up 1.4 %

Shares of VLO stock traded up $2.12 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $159.12. 3,151,478 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,537,062. Valero Energy Co. has a 12-month low of $119.88 and a 12-month high of $184.79. The company has a current ratio of 1.59, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $153.61 and its 200-day moving average price is $153.18. The firm has a market capitalization of $52.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.88, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.01 and a beta of 1.42.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 25th. The oil and gas company reported $2.71 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.60 by $0.11. Valero Energy had a net margin of 4.25% and a return on equity of 20.97%. The firm had revenue of $34.49 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $32.97 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $5.40 EPS. The company’s revenue was down .1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Valero Energy Co. will post 13.1 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 3rd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, August 1st will be given a $1.07 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 1st. This represents a $4.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.69%. Valero Energy’s payout ratio is presently 21.20%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Kimberly S. Greene sold 720 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $158.12, for a total transaction of $113,846.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 13,314 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,105,209.68. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.04% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

VLO has been the topic of a number of research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $178.00 to $172.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, July 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $156.00 to $165.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday. Barclays reduced their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $171.00 to $165.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, July 9th. Wolfe Research initiated coverage on shares of Valero Energy in a report on Thursday, July 18th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $177.00 price target on the stock. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded shares of Valero Energy from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 17th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $172.07.

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.