Sapient Capital LLC Sells 609 Shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Sapient Capital LLC reduced its position in shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 5.1% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 11,218 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 609 shares during the period. Sapient Capital LLC’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $1,915,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Valero Energy during the fourth quarter worth approximately $570,428,000. International Assets Investment Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 12,883.3% during the fourth quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 1,047,360 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $136,157,000 after buying an additional 1,039,293 shares during the last quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 94.4% during the third quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 1,429,706 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $202,585,000 after buying an additional 694,224 shares during the last quarter. Morgan Stanley raised its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 6.1% during the third quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 8,961,603 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $1,269,949,000 after buying an additional 517,068 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Montrusco Bolton Investments Inc. raised its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 18.7% during the fourth quarter. Montrusco Bolton Investments Inc. now owns 2,389,654 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $310,655,000 after buying an additional 376,449 shares during the last quarter. 78.69% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Valero Energy Stock Down 4.6 %

VLO traded down $7.72 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $159.79. 4,143,435 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,287,796. Valero Energy Co. has a 1-year low of $104.18 and a 1-year high of $184.79. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $162.12 and its two-hundred day moving average is $141.29. The stock has a market cap of $53.13 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.91, a PEG ratio of 1.50 and a beta of 1.54. The company has a quick ratio of 1.10, a current ratio of 1.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The oil and gas company reported $3.82 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.18 by $0.64. Valero Energy had a net margin of 5.01% and a return on equity of 24.82%. The business had revenue of $31.76 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $32.02 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $8.27 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was down 12.8% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts predict that Valero Energy Co. will post 18.37 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

VLO has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Scotiabank boosted their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $138.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a “sector outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 11th. UBS Group boosted their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $167.00 to $197.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 26th. Citigroup boosted their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $160.00 to $192.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, April 18th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $130.00 to $171.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a report on Friday, March 22nd. Finally, Bank of America upgraded shares of Valero Energy from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their price objective for the company from $156.00 to $210.00 in a report on Friday, March 15th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Valero Energy has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $174.40.

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.