Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) Shares Sold by Realta Investment Advisors

Realta Investment Advisors lessened its stake in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 7.0% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 3,905 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 296 shares during the period. Realta Investment Advisors’ holdings in Valero Energy were worth $485,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in VLO. New Wave Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Valero Energy during the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Peterson Financial Group Inc. acquired a new position in Valero Energy during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $28,000. Tobam purchased a new position in shares of Valero Energy during the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. Compagnie Lombard Odier SCmA acquired a new stake in shares of Valero Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Finally, True Wealth Design LLC boosted its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 196.8% in the third quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 276 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $37,000 after buying an additional 183 shares in the last quarter. 78.69% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Valero Energy Stock Down 4.5 %

Shares of NYSE:VLO opened at $134.20 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $42.48 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.83, a P/E/G ratio of 2.67 and a beta of 1.42. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $130.78 and its 200-day simple moving average is $137.31. Valero Energy Co. has a 52-week low of $116.84 and a 52-week 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.

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 (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.14 by $0.50. Valero Energy had a net margin of 2.13% and a return on equity of 9.58%. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Valero Energy Co. will post 8.29 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 3rd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, January 30th will be issued a $1.13 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, January 30th. This is an increase from Valero Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.07. This represents a $4.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.37%. Valero Energy’s payout ratio is 53.30%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

VLO has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Scotiabank cut their price objective on Valero Energy from $173.00 to $141.00 and set a “sector outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, October 10th. TD Cowen cut their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $145.00 to $140.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, October 25th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $160.00 to $159.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 31st. Tudor Pickering raised shares of Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday. Finally, Barclays decreased their price target 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. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $154.46.

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.