Gries Financial LLC Sells 78 Shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Gries Financial LLC lowered its stake in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 4.0% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 1,864 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 78 shares during the period. Gries Financial LLC’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $229,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of VLO. NewEdge Advisors LLC raised its position in Valero Energy by 9.5% during the second quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 26,606 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $4,171,000 after purchasing an additional 2,317 shares in the last quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers lifted its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 4.8% in the second quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 116,120 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $18,203,000 after acquiring an additional 5,295 shares during the last quarter. New Century Financial Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Valero Energy during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $255,000. Clearbridge Investments LLC bought a new position in Valero Energy in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $763,000. Finally, Sanctuary Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Valero Energy in the second quarter valued at approximately $20,826,000. Institutional investors own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Valero Energy Stock Performance

NYSE:VLO opened at $135.36 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. Valero Energy Co. has a twelve month low of $116.84 and a twelve month high of $184.79. The company has a fifty day moving average of $131.11 and a 200-day moving average of $137.72. The firm has a market capitalization of $42.85 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.14, a P/E/G ratio of 2.81 and a beta of 1.42.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The oil and gas company reported $0.64 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.14 by $0.50. Valero Energy had a net margin of 2.74% and a return on equity of 13.07%. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Valero Energy Co. will post 7.92 EPS for the current year.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 3rd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, January 30th will be given a dividend of $1.13 per share. This represents a $4.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.34%. This is a positive change from Valero Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.07. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, January 30th. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 38.39%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

VLO has been the subject of a number of research reports. BMO Capital Markets dropped their price target on Valero Energy from $175.00 to $165.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, October 4th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on Valero Energy from $165.00 to $160.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, December 9th. Mizuho dropped their price objective 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. Citigroup decreased their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $192.00 to $176.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Finally, Scotiabank reduced their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $173.00 to $141.00 and set a “sector outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, October 10th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Valero Energy currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $154.54.

Valero Energy 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.