Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC Sells 162 Shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC lessened its holdings in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 1.9% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 8,202 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 162 shares during the period. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $1,400,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in VLO. Collective Family Office LLC increased its position in Valero Energy by 1.5% during the 1st quarter. Collective Family Office LLC now owns 4,040 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $690,000 after buying an additional 58 shares during the period. Versant Capital Management Inc increased its position in Valero Energy by 4.7% during the 1st quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 1,327 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $227,000 after buying an additional 59 shares during the period. Aua Capital Management LLC increased its position in Valero Energy by 3.1% during the 1st quarter. Aua Capital Management LLC now owns 2,261 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $386,000 after buying an additional 67 shares during the period. United Community Bank increased its position in Valero Energy by 2.2% during the 4th quarter. United Community Bank now owns 3,416 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $444,000 after buying an additional 75 shares during the period. Finally, Marino Stram & Associates LLC increased its position in Valero Energy by 0.9% during the 4th quarter. Marino Stram & Associates LLC now owns 8,384 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $1,090,000 after buying an additional 77 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Kimberly S. Greene sold 720 shares of Valero Energy stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $158.12, for a total transaction of $113,846.40. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 13,314 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,105,209.68. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.47% of the company’s stock.

Valero Energy Price Performance

NYSE:VLO traded down $3.26 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $155.24. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 424,311 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,104,369. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $156.66 and a 200-day simple moving average of $150.99. The company has a market capitalization of $50.76 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.85, a PEG ratio of 1.64 and a beta of 1.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a current ratio of 1.59 and a quick ratio of 1.10. Valero Energy Co. has a twelve month low of $112.16 and a twelve month high of $184.79.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The oil and gas company reported $3.82 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.18 by $0.64. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 24.82% and a net margin of 5.01%. The firm had revenue of $31.76 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $32.02 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $8.27 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 12.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts anticipate that Valero Energy Co. will post 16.09 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 28th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 30th were paid a dividend of $1.07 per share. This represents a $4.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.76%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, May 30th. Valero Energy’s payout ratio is 21.20%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

VLO has been the topic of several recent research reports. Scotiabank increased their price objective on Valero Energy from $138.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a “sector outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 11th. Bank of America upgraded Valero Energy from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price target for the stock from $156.00 to $210.00 in a research report on Friday, March 15th. Mizuho decreased their price target on Valero Energy from $176.00 to $171.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, June 20th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price target on Valero Energy from $130.00 to $171.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a research report on Friday, March 22nd. Finally, Citigroup raised their price target on Valero Energy from $160.00 to $192.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 18th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $171.47.

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.