Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) Shares Sold by Summit Trail Advisors LLC

Summit Trail Advisors LLC decreased its position in shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 21.1% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,838 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 759 shares during the period. Summit Trail Advisors LLC’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $348,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of VLO. New Wave Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Valero Energy in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Peterson Financial Group Inc. acquired a new stake in Valero Energy during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $28,000. Tobam purchased a new position in Valero Energy in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $30,000. True Wealth Design LLC grew 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 worth $37,000 after acquiring an additional 183 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Valero Energy during the third quarter worth $38,000. 78.69% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Valero Energy Stock Performance

Shares of VLO opened at $130.95 on Thursday. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $130.58 and its 200-day simple moving average is $136.75. Valero Energy Co. has a 12-month low of $116.84 and a 12-month high of $184.79. The firm has a market cap of $41.46 billion, a PE ratio of 15.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 1.42. The company has a current ratio of 1.57, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The oil and gas company reported $0.64 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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 analysts predict that Valero Energy Co. will post 7.86 EPS for the current year.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 3rd. Shareholders 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 yield of 3.45%. This is a boost from Valero Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.07. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, January 30th. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 53.30%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

VLO has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. TD Cowen decreased their target price on Valero Energy from $145.00 to $140.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, October 25th. Mizuho decreased their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $165.00 to $158.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Barclays dropped their target price on Valero Energy from $146.00 to $140.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, November 11th. Citigroup decreased their price target on Valero Energy from $192.00 to $176.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, October 25th. Finally, Tudor Pickering upgraded Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $154.46.

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.