Principal Securities Inc. Has $753,000 Stock Holdings in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Principal Securities Inc. cut its position in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 30.6% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 6,142 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 2,705 shares during the period. Principal Securities Inc.’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $753,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. lifted its position in Valero Energy by 0.4% in the 4th quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. now owns 123,356 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $14,751,000 after acquiring an additional 455 shares in the last quarter. Kieckhefer Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Valero Energy during the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,226,000. Hudson Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Valero Energy by 6.5% during the 4th quarter. Hudson Capital Management LLC now owns 31,792 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $3,897,000 after buying an additional 1,937 shares in the last quarter. Miracle Mile Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Valero Energy during the 4th quarter worth approximately $274,000. Finally, Captrust Financial Advisors lifted its position in shares of Valero Energy by 7.5% during the 3rd quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 89,762 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $12,121,000 after buying an additional 6,278 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Valero Energy Stock Performance

Valero Energy stock opened at $139.09 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.11, a current ratio of 1.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. The company has a market capitalization of $44.03 billion, a PE ratio of 16.40, a P/E/G ratio of 2.91 and a beta of 1.42. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $130.95 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $135.96. Valero Energy Co. has a twelve month low of $116.84 and a twelve month high of $184.79.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The oil and gas company reported $0.64 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.14 by $0.50. Valero Energy had a net margin of 2.13% and a return on equity of 9.58%. Research analysts expect that Valero Energy Co. will post 7.92 EPS for the current year.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 3rd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, January 30th will be paid a dividend of $1.13 per share. This represents a $4.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.25%. This is an increase from Valero Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.07. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, January 30th. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio is 53.30%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have commented on the stock. Mizuho dropped their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $165.00 to $158.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. TD Cowen lowered their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $145.00 to $140.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, October 25th. Citigroup lowered their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $192.00 to $176.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, October 25th. Tudor Pickering upgraded shares of Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $160.00 to $159.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 31st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $154.46.

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.