Atomi Financial Group Inc. Cuts Stake in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Atomi Financial Group Inc. cut its stake in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 8.4% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 5,058 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 462 shares during the quarter. Atomi Financial Group Inc.’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $620,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Transform Wealth LLC purchased a new position in Valero Energy in the fourth quarter valued at about $292,000. Segment Wealth Management LLC raised its position in Valero Energy by 1.7% in the fourth quarter. Segment Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,947 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $606,000 after purchasing an additional 81 shares during the period. Mitchell & Pahl Private Wealth LLC raised its position in Valero Energy by 8.0% in the fourth quarter. Mitchell & Pahl Private Wealth LLC now owns 14,185 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $1,739,000 after purchasing an additional 1,048 shares during the period. UMB Bank n.a. raised its position in Valero Energy by 2.3% in the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 11,473 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $1,406,000 after purchasing an additional 255 shares during the period. Finally, Access Financial Services Inc. raised its position in Valero Energy by 1.7% in the fourth quarter. Access Financial Services Inc. now owns 10,202 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $1,251,000 after purchasing an additional 168 shares during the period. 78.69% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Valero Energy Stock Performance

Shares of VLO opened at $140.75 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a current ratio of 1.57 and a quick ratio of 1.11. The stock has a market capitalization of $44.56 billion, a PE ratio of 12.62, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.90 and a beta of 1.42. Valero Energy Co. has a 12-month low of $116.84 and a 12-month high of $184.79. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $131.27 and its 200 day moving average price is $137.96.

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

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 3rd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, January 30th will be paid a $1.13 dividend. This represents a $4.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.21%. This is a boost 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 (DPR) is presently 38.39%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on VLO shares. Piper Sandler raised Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 10th. BMO Capital Markets reduced their target price 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. Scotiabank dropped their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $173.00 to $141.00 and set a “sector outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, October 10th. TD Cowen reduced their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $145.00 to $140.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Finally, Citigroup dropped their target price 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. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $154.57.

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.