Courier Capital LLC Reduces Position in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Courier Capital LLC lessened its holdings in shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 0.8% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 15,829 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 130 shares during the period. Courier Capital LLC’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $2,702,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. BKM Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Valero Energy in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Rise Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Valero Energy during the 1st quarter worth approximately $33,000. Wetzel Investment Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in Valero Energy during the 4th quarter worth approximately $36,000. FSC Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Valero Energy during the 4th quarter worth approximately $38,000. Finally, McIlrath & Eck LLC lifted its holdings in Valero Energy by 40.3% during the 3rd quarter. McIlrath & Eck LLC now owns 303 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $43,000 after buying an additional 87 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Valero Energy Stock Performance

Valero Energy stock traded up $2.72 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $156.76. 3,844,461 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,147,316. Valero Energy Co. has a 12-month low of $112.16 and a 12-month high of $184.79. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a current ratio of 1.59. The stock has a market cap of $51.26 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.76, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.53 and a beta of 1.47. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $157.66 and its 200 day simple moving average is $149.83.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last released its earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The oil and gas company reported $3.82 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.18 by $0.64. Valero Energy had a net margin of 5.01% and a return on equity of 24.82%. The company had revenue of $31.76 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $32.02 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $8.27 EPS. The business’s revenue was down 12.8% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts predict that Valero Energy Co. will post 16.75 EPS for the current year.

Valero Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 28th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 30th will be paid a $1.07 dividend. This represents a $4.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.73%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 30th. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 21.20%.

Insider Transactions at Valero Energy

In other news, Director Kimberly S. Greene sold 720 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $158.12, for a total value of $113,846.40. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 13,314 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,105,209.68. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.04% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

VLO has been the topic of a number of research reports. Piper Sandler reduced their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $187.00 to $169.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, June 14th. Argus lowered shares of Valero Energy from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, May 16th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $130.00 to $171.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a report on Friday, March 22nd. StockNews.com lowered shares of Valero Energy from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Sunday, June 23rd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $177.00 to $178.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, April 1st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $172.00.

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.