Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) Shares Sold by LongView Wealth Management

LongView Wealth Management lowered its stake in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 3.9% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,892 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 76 shares during the quarter. LongView Wealth Management’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $232,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of VLO. Quad Cities Investment Group LLC boosted its position in shares of Valero Energy by 1.6% during the 3rd quarter. Quad Cities Investment Group LLC now owns 4,851 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $655,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares during the period. Providence Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Valero Energy by 0.9% during the third quarter. Providence Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 8,784 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $1,169,000 after buying an additional 75 shares during the period. New Century Financial Group LLC grew its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 5.0% in the third quarter. New Century Financial Group LLC now owns 1,708 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $231,000 after buying an additional 81 shares in the last quarter. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 4.7% in the 3rd quarter. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,834 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $248,000 after buying an additional 82 shares during the period. Finally, Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators lifted its stake in Valero Energy by 6.4% during the 3rd quarter. Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators now owns 1,420 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $192,000 after acquiring an additional 85 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Valero Energy Stock Up 1.3 %

Shares of NYSE:VLO opened at $141.21 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.57, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $131.25 and a 200-day simple moving average of $138.48. The company has a market capitalization of $44.70 billion, a PE ratio of 12.66, a P/E/G ratio of 2.43 and a beta of 1.42. Valero Energy Co. has a twelve month low of $116.84 and a twelve month high of $184.79.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The oil and gas company reported $1.14 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.98 by $0.16. The firm had revenue of $32.88 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $31.04 billion. Valero Energy had a net margin of 2.74% and a return on equity of 13.07%. Valero Energy’s quarterly revenue was down 14.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $7.49 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts predict that Valero Energy Co. will post 7.96 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 3rd. Investors of record on Thursday, January 30th will be paid a dividend of $1.13 per share. This represents a $4.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.20%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, January 30th. This is an increase from Valero Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.07. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 38.39%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

VLO has been the subject of several research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on Valero Energy from $172.00 to $151.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, October 2nd. Citigroup cut their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $192.00 to $176.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, October 25th. TD Cowen decreased their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $145.00 to $140.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Scotiabank cut their price objective on Valero Energy from $173.00 to $141.00 and set a “sector outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, October 10th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on Valero Energy from $165.00 to $160.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, December 9th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $154.57.

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.