Silvant Capital Management LLC Sells 4,686 Shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Silvant Capital Management LLC decreased its position in shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 13.6% during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 29,846 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 4,686 shares during the quarter. Silvant Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $4,030,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. EdgeRock Capital LLC bought a new position in Valero Energy in the second quarter worth about $27,000. Lynx Investment Advisory acquired a new stake in Valero Energy in the second quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC purchased a new position in Valero Energy in the first quarter worth $33,000. Summit Securities Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Valero Energy during the 2nd quarter valued at $31,000. Finally, First Foundation Advisors acquired a new position in Valero Energy during the 1st quarter valued at about $37,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Valero Energy Stock Performance

Shares of Valero Energy stock opened at $128.22 on Friday. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $136.69 and its 200-day simple moving average is $148.56. The company has a quick ratio of 1.04, a current ratio of 1.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. The firm has a market cap of $41.08 billion, a PE ratio of 11.50, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.32 and a beta of 1.39. Valero Energy Co. has a 52 week low of $119.88 and a 52 week high of $184.79.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The oil and gas company reported $1.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.98 by $0.16. Valero Energy had a net margin of 2.74% and a return on equity of 13.07%. The business had revenue of $32.88 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $31.04 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $7.49 EPS. The business’s revenue was down 14.4% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts forecast that Valero Energy Co. will post 9.32 earnings per share for the current year.

Valero Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 20th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, November 20th will be paid a dividend of $1.07 per share. This represents a $4.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.34%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, November 20th. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 38.39%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have commented on VLO. Mizuho decreased their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $175.00 to $171.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, September 16th. Barclays reduced their price objective on Valero Energy from $165.00 to $146.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, October 2nd. TD Cowen lowered their target price on Valero Energy from $145.00 to $140.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Piper Sandler cut Valero Energy from an “overweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and reduced their price target for the company from $169.00 to $123.00 in a research report on Friday, September 20th. Finally, Bank of America assumed coverage on shares of Valero Energy in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $150.00 target price for the company. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $156.29.

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.