Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) Shares Sold by Sapient Capital LLC

Sapient Capital LLC reduced its position in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 19.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 9,135 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 2,179 shares during the quarter. Sapient Capital LLC’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $1,120,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of VLO. New Wave Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Valero Energy in the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Peterson Financial Group Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Valero Energy during the third quarter worth about $28,000. Tobam acquired a new position in shares of Valero Energy during the fourth quarter worth about $30,000. Compagnie Lombard Odier SCmA acquired a new position in shares of Valero Energy during the third quarter worth about $34,000. Finally, True Wealth Design LLC grew its position in shares of Valero Energy by 196.8% during the third quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 276 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $37,000 after buying an additional 183 shares in the last quarter. 78.69% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Valero Energy Price Performance

Shares of NYSE VLO opened at $136.90 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.57, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. Valero Energy Co. has a twelve month low of $116.84 and a twelve month high of $184.79. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $130.59 and a two-hundred day moving average of $136.90. The stock has a market cap of $43.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.14, a P/E/G ratio of 2.85 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 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%. On average, research analysts forecast that Valero Energy Co. will post 7.86 earnings per share for the current 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 $1.13 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, January 30th. This represents a $4.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.30%. This is a boost from Valero Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.07. Valero Energy’s payout ratio is currently 53.30%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on the company. TD Cowen lowered their price objective on Valero Energy from $145.00 to $140.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Tudor Pickering raised Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Barclays lowered their price objective on Valero Energy from $146.00 to $140.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, November 11th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on Valero Energy from $160.00 to $159.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Mizuho decreased their target price on Valero Energy from $165.00 to $158.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus 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.