J. W. Coons Advisors LLC Has $3.31 Million Stock Holdings in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

J. W. Coons Advisors LLC trimmed its stake in shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 2.3% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 26,987 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 626 shares during the quarter. J. W. Coons Advisors LLC’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $3,308,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA bought a new position in shares of Valero Energy during the fourth quarter worth about $145,000. Howard Capital Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Valero Energy by 2.6% during the fourth quarter. Howard Capital Management Inc. now owns 28,032 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $3,436,000 after acquiring an additional 706 shares during the last quarter. Sigma Planning Corp raised its position in shares of Valero Energy by 6.3% during the fourth quarter. Sigma Planning Corp now owns 8,040 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $986,000 after acquiring an additional 476 shares during the last quarter. Turning Point Benefit Group Inc. bought a new position in shares of Valero Energy during the fourth quarter worth about $386,000. Finally, Navellier & Associates Inc. raised its position in shares of Valero Energy by 4.3% during the fourth quarter. Navellier & Associates Inc. now owns 19,859 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $2,435,000 after acquiring an additional 825 shares during the last quarter. 78.69% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Valero Energy Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:VLO opened at $134.67 on Monday. 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 Co. has a twelve month low of $116.84 and a twelve month high of $184.79. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $131.06 and its 200-day moving average is $135.69. The firm has a market capitalization of $42.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.88, a PEG ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 1.42.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last announced 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 return on equity of 9.58% and a net margin of 2.13%. Sell-side analysts forecast that Valero Energy Co. will post 7.92 EPS for the current fiscal 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 paid a $1.13 dividend. This represents a $4.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.36%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, January 30th. This is an increase from Valero Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.07. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio is 53.30%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

VLO has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Piper Sandler upgraded Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 10th. Barclays lowered their target price on Valero Energy from $146.00 to $140.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, November 11th. Mizuho lowered their target price on Valero Energy from $165.00 to $158.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Tudor Pickering upgraded Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on Valero Energy from $160.00 to $159.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 31st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Valero Energy currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price 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.