Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) Position Reduced by Bank & Trust Co

Bank & Trust Co lowered its stake in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 2.2% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 15,046 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 346 shares during the period. Valero Energy accounts for approximately 1.5% of Bank & Trust Co’s holdings, making the stock its 16th biggest holding. Bank & Trust Co’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $1,844,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Fortem Financial Group LLC raised its stake in Valero Energy by 4.0% during the fourth quarter. Fortem Financial Group LLC now owns 10,998 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $1,348,000 after buying an additional 426 shares in the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc raised its position in shares of Valero Energy by 18.1% during the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 1,521 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $186,000 after acquiring an additional 233 shares in the last quarter. Independent Solutions Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in Valero Energy by 2.1% in the third quarter. Independent Solutions Wealth Management LLC now owns 13,258 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $1,790,000 after purchasing an additional 273 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its stake in Valero Energy by 0.8% during the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 368,454 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $49,752,000 after purchasing an additional 3,065 shares during the last quarter. Finally, 1ST Source Bank lifted its position in shares of Valero Energy by 3.3% in the 3rd quarter. 1ST Source Bank now owns 4,286 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $579,000 after buying an additional 135 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Valero Energy Price Performance

NYSE VLO traded up $2.39 on Tuesday, reaching $124.51. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 1,302,512 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,849,538. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $131.25 and its two-hundred day moving average is $139.65. The stock has a market cap of $39.42 billion, a PE ratio of 11.17, a PEG ratio of 2.43 and a beta of 1.42. 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 twelve month low of $116.84 and a twelve month high of $184.79.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The oil and gas company reported $1.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.98 by $0.16. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 13.07% and a net margin of 2.74%. The company had revenue of $32.88 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $31.04 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $7.49 earnings per share. Valero Energy’s revenue for the quarter was down 14.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Valero Energy Co. will post 8.86 EPS for the current year.

Valero Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 20th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, November 20th were issued a $1.07 dividend. This represents a $4.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.44%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, November 20th. Valero Energy’s payout ratio is 38.39%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on VLO shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $172.00 to $151.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, October 2nd. 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 on the stock. BMO Capital Markets lowered their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $175.00 to $165.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, October 4th. Scotiabank dropped their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $173.00 to $141.00 and set a “sector outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, October 10th. Finally, TD Cowen decreased 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 research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $155.07.

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.