Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) Shares Sold by Thrivent Financial for Lutherans

Thrivent Financial for Lutherans cut its stake in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 7.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 43,267 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 3,382 shares during the period. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans’ holdings in Valero Energy were worth $5,743,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Kennondale Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Valero Energy in the 4th quarter valued at $714,000. RD Lewis Holdings Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Valero Energy in the fourth quarter valued at about $305,000. Tocqueville Asset Management L.P. raised its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 2.1% in the fourth quarter. Tocqueville Asset Management L.P. now owns 8,157 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $1,000,000 after purchasing an additional 164 shares during the last quarter. Flagship Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Valero Energy during the fourth quarter worth about $61,000. Finally, Cibc World Markets Corp boosted its position in Valero Energy by 14.2% in the fourth quarter. Cibc World Markets Corp now owns 50,115 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $6,144,000 after buying an additional 6,228 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Valero Energy Stock Up 0.4 %

Shares of NYSE VLO opened at $132.00 on Tuesday. 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’s 50-day simple moving average is $133.93 and its 200-day simple moving average is $133.36. The firm has a market cap of $41.58 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.57, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 1.36.

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

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 3rd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, January 30th were issued a dividend of $1.13 per share. This is a positive change from Valero Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.07. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, January 30th. This represents a $4.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.42%. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 53.30%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have commented on VLO shares. Mizuho decreased 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. Tudor Pickering upgraded Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Piper Sandler lowered their target price on Valero Energy from $149.00 to $144.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, March 7th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on Valero Energy from $160.00 to $159.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 31st. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Valero Energy has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $156.08.

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.