Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) Shares Sold by Washburn Capital Management Inc.

Washburn Capital Management Inc. cut its stake in shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 23.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 1,850 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 575 shares during the quarter. Washburn Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $227,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in VLO. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC increased its position in shares of Valero Energy by 1.8% in the 3rd quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 1,293,589 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $174,673,000 after purchasing an additional 22,571 shares during the last quarter. Kieckhefer Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Valero Energy during the 4th quarter worth $1,226,000. Hudson Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 6.5% during the fourth quarter. Hudson Capital Management LLC now owns 31,792 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $3,897,000 after purchasing an additional 1,937 shares in the last quarter. Miracle Mile Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Valero Energy in the fourth quarter valued at $274,000. Finally, Captrust Financial Advisors lifted its holdings in Valero Energy by 7.5% during the 3rd quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 89,762 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $12,121,000 after buying an additional 6,278 shares during the last quarter. 78.69% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have recently commented on VLO. Tudor Pickering upgraded Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $160.00 to $159.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Barclays dropped their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $146.00 to $140.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, November 11th. Mizuho decreased 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 note on Wednesday, January 8th. Finally, TD Cowen cut their target price on Valero Energy from $145.00 to $140.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, October 25th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $154.46.

Valero Energy Trading Down 0.9 %

Shares of VLO stock opened at $133.05 on Friday. Valero Energy Co. has a twelve month low of $116.84 and a twelve month high of $184.79. The company has a current ratio of 1.57, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. The business’s 50 day moving average is $130.66 and its two-hundred day moving average is $137.20. The company has a market capitalization of $42.12 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.69, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.85 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 (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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%. Equities analysts forecast that Valero Energy Co. will post 7.86 EPS for the current year.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed 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. This represents a $4.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.40%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, January 30th. This is a positive change from Valero Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.07. Valero Energy’s payout ratio is currently 53.30%.

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.