Inceptionr LLC Sells 3,928 Shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Inceptionr LLC decreased its stake in shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 59.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,647 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 3,928 shares during the period. Inceptionr LLC’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $324,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. raised its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 0.4% in the 4th quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. now owns 123,356 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $14,751,000 after purchasing an additional 455 shares during the period. Kieckhefer Group LLC acquired a new stake in Valero Energy in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $1,226,000. Hudson Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in Valero Energy by 6.5% in the 4th quarter. Hudson Capital Management LLC now owns 31,792 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $3,897,000 after acquiring an additional 1,937 shares in the last quarter. Miracle Mile Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Valero Energy during the 4th quarter worth approximately $274,000. Finally, Captrust Financial Advisors grew its stake in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 6,278 shares in the last quarter. 78.69% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have recently commented on VLO. Mizuho cut their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $165.00 to $158.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Piper Sandler reduced their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $149.00 to $144.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on Valero Energy from $160.00 to $159.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Tudor Pickering raised Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, Barclays lowered their price target on Valero Energy from $146.00 to $140.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, November 11th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $156.08.

Valero Energy Stock Up 0.8 %

VLO opened at $127.00 on Monday. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $132.76 and its 200 day simple moving average is $134.34. Valero Energy Co. has a 1-year low of $116.84 and a 1-year high of $184.79. The stock has a market cap of $40.21 billion, a PE ratio of 14.98, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 1.36. 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 issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The oil and gas company reported $0.64 earnings per share 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%. As a group, research analysts expect that Valero Energy Co. will post 7.92 earnings per share for the current year.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 3rd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, January 30th were issued a dividend of $1.13 per share. This represents a $4.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.56%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, January 30th. This is a boost from Valero Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.07. Valero Energy’s payout ratio is currently 53.30%.

Valero Energy Company 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.