St. Johns Investment Management Company LLC Reduces Position in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

St. Johns Investment Management Company LLC reduced its position in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 3.3% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 5,234 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 179 shares during the period. St. Johns Investment Management Company LLC’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $642,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Quad Cities Investment Group LLC boosted its stake 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 worth $655,000 after acquiring an additional 75 shares in the last quarter. Providence Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Valero Energy by 0.9% in the third quarter. Providence Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 8,784 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $1,169,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares during the period. New Century Financial Group LLC raised its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 5.0% during the 3rd quarter. New Century Financial Group LLC now owns 1,708 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $231,000 after buying an additional 81 shares during the period. Segment Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Valero Energy by 1.7% during the 4th quarter. Segment Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,947 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $606,000 after buying an additional 81 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Opal Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in Valero Energy by 4.7% in 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.

Valero Energy Trading Up 4.2 %

NYSE VLO opened at $140.75 on Friday. Valero Energy Co. has a 12 month low of $116.84 and a 12 month high of $184.79. The stock has a market capitalization of $44.56 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.62, a PEG ratio of 2.81 and a beta of 1.42. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $131.27 and its two-hundred day moving average is $137.96. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a current ratio of 1.57 and a quick ratio of 1.11.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 24th. The oil and gas company reported $1.14 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.98 by $0.16. The firm had revenue of $32.88 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $31.04 billion. Valero Energy had a net margin of 2.74% and a return on equity of 13.07%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 14.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $7.49 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Valero Energy Co. will post 7.93 earnings per share for the current year.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 3rd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, January 30th will be paid a $1.13 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, January 30th. This is a boost from Valero Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.07. This represents a $4.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.21%. Valero Energy’s payout ratio is presently 40.54%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. Mizuho reduced their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $165.00 to $158.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Piper Sandler upgraded shares of Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 10th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $165.00 to $160.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, December 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on Valero Energy from $172.00 to $151.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, October 2nd. Finally, BMO Capital Markets reduced their price objective on Valero Energy from $175.00 to $165.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, October 4th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $154.57.

Valero Energy Company 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.