Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) Shares Sold by Realta Investment Advisors

Realta Investment Advisors lessened its stake in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 7.0% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 3,905 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 296 shares during the quarter. Realta Investment Advisors’ holdings in Valero Energy were worth $485,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. New Wave Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Valero Energy in the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. Peterson Financial Group Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Valero Energy in the 3rd quarter worth about $28,000. Tobam acquired a new position in shares of Valero Energy in the 4th quarter valued at about $30,000. Compagnie Lombard Odier SCmA purchased a new stake in shares of Valero Energy during the 3rd quarter worth about $34,000. Finally, True Wealth Design LLC increased its position in Valero Energy by 196.8% during the 3rd quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 276 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $37,000 after purchasing an additional 183 shares in the last quarter. 78.69% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

VLO has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Barclays reduced their price target 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. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $160.00 to $159.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 31st. Bank of America began coverage on Valero Energy in a report on Thursday, October 17th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $150.00 price target for the company. Scotiabank reduced their price objective on Valero Energy from $173.00 to $141.00 and set a “sector outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, October 10th. Finally, Tudor Pickering upgraded Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $154.46.

Valero Energy Stock Performance

Valero Energy stock opened at $134.20 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 stock has a 50 day moving average of $130.78 and a 200-day moving average of $137.31. The stock has a market cap of $42.48 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.83, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.67 and a beta of 1.42. Valero Energy Co. has a 52 week low of $116.84 and a 52 week high of $184.79.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The oil and gas company reported $0.64 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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%. On average, analysts expect that Valero Energy Co. will post 8.29 EPS 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. Shareholders of record on Thursday, January 30th will be paid a dividend of $1.13 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, January 30th. This represents a $4.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.37%. This is a boost from Valero Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.07. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 53.30%.

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.