Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) Shares Sold by Montrusco Bolton Investments Inc.

Montrusco Bolton Investments Inc. lowered its position in shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 18.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 2,059,010 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 474,424 shares during the period. Valero Energy comprises about 3.1% of Montrusco Bolton Investments Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 14th largest position. Montrusco Bolton Investments Inc. owned 0.65% of Valero Energy worth $252,414,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Quad Cities Investment Group LLC lifted its stake 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 lifted its position in 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 boosted its stake in Valero Energy by 5.0% in the 3rd quarter. New Century Financial Group LLC now owns 1,708 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $231,000 after buying an additional 81 shares during the last quarter. Segment Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 1.7% during the 4th quarter. Segment Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,947 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $606,000 after acquiring an additional 81 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Opal Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Valero Energy by 4.7% in the third quarter. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,834 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $248,000 after acquiring an additional 82 shares during the last quarter. 78.69% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

VLO has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $165.00 to $160.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, December 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on Valero Energy from $172.00 to $151.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, October 2nd. BMO Capital Markets reduced their target price on Valero Energy from $175.00 to $165.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, October 4th. Scotiabank lowered their price target on Valero Energy from $173.00 to $141.00 and set a “sector outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, October 10th. Finally, Barclays cut their price objective on Valero Energy from $146.00 to $140.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, November 11th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $154.54.

Valero Energy Stock Down 2.2 %

Shares of NYSE VLO opened at $138.14 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a current ratio of 1.57. Valero Energy Co. has a 1 year low of $116.84 and a 1 year high of $184.79. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $131.15 and its 200-day simple moving average is $137.71. The firm has a market cap of $43.73 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.39, a PEG ratio of 2.81 and a beta of 1.42.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 3rd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, January 30th will be given a $1.13 dividend. This represents a $4.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.27%. This is a positive change from Valero Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.07. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, January 30th. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 38.39%.

Valero Energy 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.