Savant Capital LLC Lowers Stake in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Savant Capital LLC reduced its stake in shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 17.5% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 14,700 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 3,119 shares during the period. Savant Capital LLC’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $1,802,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 0.5% during the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 10,287,269 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $1,389,090,000 after purchasing an additional 50,837 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its stake in Valero Energy by 5.6% in the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 4,687,585 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $639,268,000 after acquiring an additional 247,630 shares during the period. Pacer Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in Valero Energy by 13.6% in the fourth quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 4,072,188 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $499,210,000 after acquiring an additional 487,022 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its stake in Valero Energy by 4,908.0% in the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 2,850,526 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $384,907,000 after acquiring an additional 2,793,607 shares during the period. Finally, Montrusco Bolton Investments Inc. lifted its stake in Valero Energy by 6.3% in the third quarter. Montrusco Bolton Investments Inc. now owns 2,533,434 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $342,090,000 after acquiring an additional 151,200 shares during the period. 78.69% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Valero Energy Stock Performance

VLO opened at $131.03 on Friday. Valero Energy Co. has a 52-week low of $116.84 and a 52-week high of $184.79. 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 cap of $41.48 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.45, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 1.42. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $130.51 and its 200-day moving average price is $136.71.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The oil and gas company reported $0.64 earnings per share (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%. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Valero Energy Co. will post 7.86 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. Stockholders of record on Thursday, January 30th will be issued a dividend of $1.13 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, January 30th. This represents a $4.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.45%. This is an increase from Valero Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.07. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio is 53.30%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts recently weighed in on VLO shares. Mizuho lowered their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $165.00 to $158.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered 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. TD Cowen lowered their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $145.00 to $140.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Citigroup lowered their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $192.00 to $176.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Finally, Barclays decreased their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $146.00 to $140.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, November 11th. 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 assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Valero Energy currently 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.