Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) Shares Sold by Atomi Financial Group Inc.

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

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of VLO. BRITISH COLUMBIA INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT Corp increased its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 54.8% during the second quarter. BRITISH COLUMBIA INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT Corp now owns 63,112 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $9,893,000 after purchasing an additional 22,336 shares during the period. Caxton Associates LP acquired a new position in Valero Energy during the second quarter worth about $1,474,000. AQR Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Valero Energy by 17.6% during the second quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 1,550,010 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $238,841,000 after acquiring an additional 232,494 shares during the period. Ameriprise Financial Inc. grew its holdings in Valero Energy by 2.8% during the second quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 6,956,743 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $1,090,532,000 after acquiring an additional 192,397 shares during the period. Finally, MBB Public Markets I LLC acquired a new position in Valero Energy during the second quarter worth about $8,096,000. 78.69% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Valero Energy Stock Up 4.2 %

Shares of Valero Energy stock opened at $140.75 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $44.56 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.62, a P/E/G ratio of 2.90 and a beta of 1.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a current ratio of 1.57 and a quick ratio of 1.11. Valero Energy Co. has a 52-week low of $116.84 and a 52-week high of $184.79. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $131.27 and a 200-day simple moving average of $137.96.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The oil and gas company reported $1.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.98 by $0.16. The business had revenue of $32.88 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $31.04 billion. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 13.07% and a net margin of 2.74%. The firm’s revenue was down 14.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $7.49 EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that Valero Energy Co. will post 7.93 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 3rd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, January 30th will be issued a dividend of $1.13 per share. This represents a $4.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.21%. This is a positive change from Valero Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.07. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, January 30th. Valero Energy’s payout ratio is currently 38.39%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms recently issued reports on VLO. BMO Capital Markets lowered their target price on Valero Energy from $175.00 to $165.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, October 4th. Citigroup lowered their target price on Valero Energy from $192.00 to $176.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, October 25th. Piper Sandler raised Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 10th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on Valero Energy from $165.00 to $160.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, December 9th. Finally, Bank of America started coverage on Valero Energy in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $150.00 price target on the stock. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $154.57.

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.