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

Blue Trust Inc. decreased its position in shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 62.5% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 991 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 1,652 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc.’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $121,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. V Square Quantitative Management LLC raised its position in 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 valued at $893,000 after purchasing an additional 508 shares during the last quarter. First Merchants Corp increased its stake in Valero Energy by 5.7% in the fourth quarter. First Merchants Corp now owns 17,691 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $2,169,000 after purchasing an additional 950 shares during the period. Vontobel Holding Ltd. raised its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 13.4% in the fourth quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. now owns 11,529 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $1,413,000 after buying an additional 1,359 shares during the last quarter. Bogart Wealth LLC boosted its stake in shares of 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 buying an additional 100 shares during the period. Finally, IMS Capital Management purchased a new position in shares of Valero Energy during the fourth quarter worth about $266,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Valero Energy Trading Down 3.2 %

NYSE:VLO opened at $134.67 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $131.06 and its two-hundred day moving average is $135.87. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a current ratio of 1.57 and a quick ratio of 1.11. Valero Energy Co. has a fifty-two week low of $116.84 and a fifty-two week high of $184.79. The stock has a market cap of $42.63 billion, a PE ratio of 15.88, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.89 and a beta of 1.42.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The oil and gas company reported $0.64 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 research analysts forecast that Valero Energy Co. will post 7.92 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have commented on VLO shares. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on Valero Energy from $160.00 to $159.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Citigroup cut their price target on Valero Energy from $192.00 to $176.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Barclays lowered their price objective 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. TD Cowen decreased their price target on Valero Energy from $145.00 to $140.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Finally, Mizuho decreased their price target 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. One 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 company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price 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.