Wealthspire Advisors LLC Sells 1,459 Shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Wealthspire Advisors LLC trimmed its position in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 13.0% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 9,753 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 1,459 shares during the quarter. Wealthspire Advisors LLC’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $1,196,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. New Wave Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Valero Energy during the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Peterson Financial Group Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Valero Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at $28,000. Tobam bought a new position in shares of Valero Energy during the fourth quarter valued at about $30,000. True Wealth Design LLC grew its position in Valero Energy by 196.8% during the 3rd 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 during the last quarter. Finally, Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. bought a new position in shares of Valero Energy in the third quarter worth approximately $38,000. 78.69% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently issued reports on VLO. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on 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 upgraded shares of Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Piper Sandler upgraded Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 10th. 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 note on Monday, November 11th. Finally, Mizuho lowered their price target on Valero Energy from $165.00 to $158.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. 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 issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $154.46.

Valero Energy Price Performance

NYSE VLO opened at $135.10 on Tuesday. The business’s fifty day moving average is $131.26 and its 200 day moving average is $135.57. Valero Energy Co. has a fifty-two week low of $116.84 and a fifty-two week high of $184.79. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a current ratio of 1.57. The company has a market capitalization of $42.77 billion, a PE ratio of 15.93, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.93 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, topping 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%. Sell-side analysts predict that Valero Energy Co. will post 7.92 earnings per share for the current year.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 3rd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, January 30th will be given a dividend of $1.13 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, January 30th. This represents a $4.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.35%. This is a boost from Valero Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.07. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 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.