Gradient Investments LLC Sells 280 Shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Gradient Investments LLC trimmed its holdings in shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 5.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 4,618 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 280 shares during the quarter. Gradient Investments LLC’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $566,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Quad Cities Investment Group LLC increased its position in shares of Valero Energy by 1.6% during the 3rd quarter. Quad Cities Investment Group LLC now owns 4,851 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $655,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares during the last quarter. Providence Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Valero Energy by 0.9% during the third quarter. Providence Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 8,784 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $1,169,000 after buying an additional 75 shares during the last quarter. New Century Financial Group LLC raised its position in Valero Energy by 5.0% in the third quarter. New Century Financial Group LLC now owns 1,708 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $231,000 after acquiring an additional 81 shares during the period. Segment Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in Valero Energy by 1.7% in the fourth quarter. Segment Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,947 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $606,000 after acquiring an additional 81 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Opal Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Valero Energy by 4.7% during the 3rd quarter. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,834 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $248,000 after acquiring an additional 82 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently commented on VLO. Barclays dropped their price objective on Valero Energy from $146.00 to $140.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, November 11th. TD Cowen cut their price target on Valero Energy from $145.00 to $140.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Mizuho lowered their price objective on Valero Energy from $165.00 to $158.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Citigroup reduced their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $192.00 to $176.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Finally, Bank of America initiated coverage on shares of Valero Energy in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $150.00 price target on the stock. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $154.57.

Valero Energy Stock Performance

NYSE:VLO opened at $139.80 on Friday. Valero Energy Co. has a twelve month low of $116.84 and a twelve month high of $184.79. The company has a quick ratio of 1.11, a current ratio of 1.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. The stock has a market cap of $44.26 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.54, a PEG ratio of 2.81 and a beta of 1.42. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $131.28 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $137.93.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The oil and gas company reported $1.14 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.98 by $0.16. Valero Energy had a net margin of 2.74% and a return on equity of 13.07%. The firm had revenue of $32.88 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $31.04 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $7.49 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 14.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts predict that Valero Energy Co. will post 7.93 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared 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. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, January 30th. This represents a $4.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.23%. This is a positive change from Valero Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.07. Valero Energy’s payout ratio is 38.39%.

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.