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

Haverford Trust Co reduced its position in shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 17.1% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 1,819 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 376 shares during the quarter. Haverford Trust Co’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $223,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. grew its holdings in Valero Energy by 0.4% during the fourth quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. now owns 123,356 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $14,751,000 after acquiring an additional 455 shares during the period. Kieckhefer Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Valero Energy in the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,226,000. Hudson Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 6.5% in the 4th quarter. Hudson Capital Management LLC now owns 31,792 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $3,897,000 after purchasing an additional 1,937 shares in the last quarter. Miracle Mile Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Valero Energy during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $274,000. Finally, Captrust Financial Advisors boosted its holdings in Valero Energy by 7.5% during the third quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 89,762 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $12,121,000 after buying an additional 6,278 shares in the last quarter. 78.69% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Valero Energy Trading Up 0.1 %

NYSE VLO opened at $132.02 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $41.58 billion, a PE ratio of 15.57, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 1.36. Valero Energy Co. has a 1-year low of $116.84 and a 1-year high of $184.79. 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 firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $133.88 and its 200-day simple moving average is $133.34.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The oil and gas company reported $0.64 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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%. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Valero Energy Co. will post 7.92 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 3rd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, January 30th were paid a dividend of $1.13 per share. This is a positive change from Valero Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.07. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, January 30th. This represents a $4.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.42%. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio is 53.30%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have issued reports on VLO shares. Tudor Pickering raised Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Piper Sandler reduced their target price on Valero Energy from $149.00 to $144.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, March 7th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on Valero Energy from $160.00 to $159.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Mizuho decreased their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $165.00 to $158.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Valero Energy has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $156.08.

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.