ProVise Management Group LLC Decreases Holdings in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

ProVise Management Group LLC lowered its stake in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 5.6% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 8,364 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 500 shares during the period. ProVise Management Group LLC’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $1,311,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Collective Family Office LLC increased its position in shares of Valero Energy by 1.5% during the 1st quarter. Collective Family Office LLC now owns 4,040 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $690,000 after purchasing an additional 58 shares during the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its stake in Valero Energy by 4.7% during the first quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 1,327 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $227,000 after buying an additional 59 shares during the period. International Private Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in Valero Energy by 3.4% during the second quarter. International Private Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,970 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $309,000 after acquiring an additional 65 shares during the last quarter. Aua Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 3.1% in the first quarter. Aua Capital Management LLC now owns 2,261 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $386,000 after acquiring an additional 67 shares during the period. Finally, OmniStar Financial Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 1.6% in the 2nd quarter. OmniStar Financial Group Inc. now owns 4,543 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $712,000 after acquiring an additional 70 shares during the last quarter. 78.69% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Valero Energy Stock Up 1.5 %

Shares of NYSE VLO opened at $138.67 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $44.43 billion, a PE ratio of 6.87, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.72 and a beta of 1.40. The company has a current ratio of 1.48, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34. Valero Energy Co. has a 12-month low of $119.88 and a 12-month high of $184.79. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $145.69 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $155.13.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 25th. The oil and gas company reported $2.71 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.60 by $0.11. The company had revenue of $34.49 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $32.97 billion. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 21.01% and a net margin of 4.25%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down .1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $5.40 earnings per share. As a group, analysts expect that Valero Energy Co. will post 12.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 3rd. Investors of record on Thursday, August 1st were given a dividend of $1.07 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, August 1st. This represents a $4.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.09%. Valero Energy’s payout ratio is 21.20%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

VLO has been the topic of several analyst reports. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Valero Energy from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 17th. Scotiabank increased their price target on Valero Energy from $165.00 to $173.00 and gave the stock a “sector outperform” rating in a report on Friday, July 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on Valero Energy from $178.00 to $172.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, July 2nd. Mizuho reduced their target price on Valero Energy from $175.00 to $171.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $165.00 to $172.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 3rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $171.36.

Valero Energy 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.