Truist Financial Corp Lowers Stock Position in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Truist Financial Corp cut its stake in shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 0.3% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 355,992 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 902 shares during the period. Truist Financial Corp owned about 0.11% of Valero Energy worth $43,641,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Burke & Herbert Bank & Trust Co. raised its position in Valero Energy by 32.1% during the fourth quarter. Burke & Herbert Bank & Trust Co. now owns 3,786 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $464,000 after acquiring an additional 920 shares during the period. Pinnacle Wealth Management Advisory Group LLC raised its position in Valero Energy by 11.1% during the fourth quarter. Pinnacle Wealth Management Advisory Group LLC now owns 14,582 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $1,788,000 after acquiring an additional 1,459 shares during the period. MOKAN Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new position in Valero Energy during the fourth quarter worth $538,000. Csenge Advisory Group raised its position in Valero Energy by 221.2% during the fourth quarter. Csenge Advisory Group now owns 5,399 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $662,000 after acquiring an additional 3,718 shares during the period. Finally, Hourglass Capital LLC raised its position in Valero Energy by 4.3% during the fourth quarter. Hourglass Capital LLC now owns 32,830 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $4,025,000 after acquiring an additional 1,350 shares during the period. 78.69% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Valero Energy Trading Up 2.2 %

Shares of VLO stock opened at $138.23 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a current ratio of 1.57 and a quick ratio of 1.11. The firm has a market cap of $43.76 billion, a PE ratio of 16.30, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 1.42. The company has a 50-day moving average of $130.57 and a two-hundred day moving average of $136.00. Valero Energy Co. has a 1-year low of $116.84 and a 1-year high of $184.79.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last announced its earnings results 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 predict that Valero Energy Co. will post 7.86 EPS for the current year.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced 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. This represents a $4.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.27%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, January 30th. This is a positive change from Valero Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.07. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 53.30%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $160.00 to $159.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Tudor Pickering upgraded shares of Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Mizuho reduced their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $165.00 to $158.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Piper Sandler upgraded shares of Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 10th. Finally, TD Cowen reduced their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $145.00 to $140.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, October 25th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $154.46.

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.