Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) Shares Sold by Blue Trust Inc.

Blue Trust Inc. lowered its stake in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 62.5% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 991 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 1,652 shares during the quarter. Blue Trust Inc.’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $121,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. V Square Quantitative Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 7.5% in the 4th quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 7,286 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $893,000 after acquiring an additional 508 shares during the last quarter. First Merchants Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 5.7% in the 4th quarter. First Merchants Corp now owns 17,691 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $2,169,000 after acquiring an additional 950 shares during the last quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. lifted its stake in Valero Energy by 13.4% during the fourth quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. now owns 11,529 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $1,413,000 after purchasing an additional 1,359 shares in the last quarter. Bogart Wealth LLC lifted its stake in Valero Energy by 10.8% during the fourth quarter. Bogart Wealth LLC now owns 1,027 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $126,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Finally, IMS Capital Management acquired a new position in Valero Energy during the fourth quarter worth $266,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Valero Energy Stock Down 3.2 %

Valero Energy stock opened at $134.67 on Friday. Valero Energy Co. has a 1-year low of $116.84 and a 1-year high of $184.79. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a current ratio of 1.57 and a quick ratio of 1.11. The stock has a market cap of $42.63 billion, a PE ratio of 15.88, a P/E/G ratio of 2.89 and a beta of 1.42. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $131.06 and its two-hundred day moving average is $135.87.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The oil and gas company reported $0.64 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.14 by $0.50. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 9.58% and a net margin of 2.13%. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Valero Energy Co. will post 7.92 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 3rd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, January 30th will be issued a dividend of $1.13 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, January 30th. This represents a $4.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.36%. This is a boost from Valero Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.07. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 53.30%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms recently issued reports on VLO. Mizuho decreased their target price on Valero Energy from $165.00 to $158.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Piper Sandler raised shares of Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 10th. Citigroup reduced their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $192.00 to $176.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Barclays reduced their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $146.00 to $140.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, November 11th. Finally, Tudor Pickering upgraded shares of Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Valero Energy currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $154.46.

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.