Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) Stake Lowered by Atlas Capital Advisors Inc.

Atlas Capital Advisors Inc. decreased its stake in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 2.5% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 4,756 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 120 shares during the period. Atlas Capital Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $583,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in VLO. New Wave Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Valero Energy during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Tobam bought a new stake in Valero Energy during the 4th quarter valued at $30,000. OFI Invest Asset Management acquired a new position in Valero Energy during the 4th quarter worth $37,000. Golden State Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Valero Energy in the fourth quarter worth $38,000. Finally, Creative Capital Management Investments LLC increased its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 122.0% during the fourth quarter. Creative Capital Management Investments LLC now owns 333 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $41,000 after purchasing an additional 183 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Valero Energy Stock Performance

VLO opened at $104.64 on Friday. 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 firm has a market cap of $32.96 billion, a PE ratio of 12.34, a P/E/G ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 1.36. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $131.94 and a 200-day simple moving average of $132.97. Valero Energy Co. has a fifty-two week low of $102.60 and a fifty-two week high of $184.79.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The oil and gas company reported $0.64 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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, equities analysts predict that Valero Energy Co. will post 7.92 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 3rd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, January 30th were issued a dividend of $1.13 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, January 30th. This represents a $4.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.32%. This is a positive change from Valero Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.07. Valero Energy’s payout ratio is currently 53.30%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on VLO. Tudor Pickering upgraded shares of Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Piper Sandler decreased their price objective on shares of 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 target price on Valero Energy from $160.00 to $159.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Mizuho decreased their price target on Valero Energy from $165.00 to $158.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Valero Energy currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $152.67.

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.