Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky Sells 2,310 Shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky decreased its holdings in shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 7.4% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 29,117 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 2,310 shares during the period. Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $4,970,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Rise Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Valero Energy in the first quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Wetzel Investment Advisors Inc. bought a new position in shares of Valero Energy in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $36,000. First Foundation Advisors bought a new position in shares of Valero Energy in the first quarter valued at approximately $37,000. LRI Investments LLC bought a new position in shares of Valero Energy in the first quarter valued at approximately $39,000. Finally, DT Investment Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Valero Energy in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $45,000. Institutional investors own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Valero Energy Stock Down 5.0 %

NYSE VLO traded down $7.89 on Friday, reaching $148.56. The company had a trading volume of 3,457,861 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,709,691. The firm has a market capitalization of $48.58 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.36, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.99 and a beta of 1.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a current ratio of 1.48. Valero Energy Co. has a 1-year low of $119.88 and a 1-year high of $184.79. The company’s fifty day moving average is $153.10 and its 200-day moving average is $154.00.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, July 25th. The oil and gas company reported $2.71 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.60 by $0.11. Valero Energy had a net margin of 4.25% and a return on equity of 21.01%. The firm had revenue of $34.49 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $32.97 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $5.40 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down .1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts forecast that Valero Energy Co. will post 13.06 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 3rd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, August 1st will be given a dividend of $1.07 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 1st. This represents a $4.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.88%. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 21.20%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $156.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, July 26th. TD Cowen dropped their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $190.00 to $185.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 29th. Scotiabank lifted their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $165.00 to $173.00 and gave the stock a “sector outperform” rating in a report on Friday, July 12th. Citigroup lifted their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $160.00 to $192.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, April 18th. Finally, Argus lowered shares of Valero Energy from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, May 16th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $174.00.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Valero Energy news, Director Kimberly S. Greene sold 720 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $158.12, for a total transaction of $113,846.40. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 13,314 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,105,209.68. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Insiders own 0.04% of the company’s stock.

About Valero Energy

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.