Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) Shares Sold by Heartland Bank & Trust Co

Heartland Bank & Trust Co cut its holdings in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 6.5% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 4,466 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 308 shares during the quarter. Heartland Bank & Trust Co’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $547,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of VLO. Peterson Financial Group Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Valero Energy in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $28,000. Compagnie Lombard Odier SCmA acquired a new position in Valero Energy in the third quarter worth approximately $34,000. True Wealth Design LLC increased its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 196.8% in the third quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 276 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $37,000 after buying an additional 183 shares in the last quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Valero Energy during the 3rd quarter valued at $38,000. Finally, Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new position in shares of Valero Energy in the 3rd quarter worth $50,000. 78.69% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

VLO has been the subject of several analyst reports. 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 report on Friday, October 4th. TD Cowen reduced their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $145.00 to $140.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Scotiabank dropped their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $173.00 to $141.00 and set a “sector outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, October 10th. Mizuho reduced their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $165.00 to $158.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Finally, Barclays lowered their price objective on shares of 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 research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $154.54.

Valero Energy Stock Down 0.7 %

Shares of Valero Energy stock opened at $139.80 on Monday. Valero Energy Co. has a 12-month low of $116.84 and a 12-month high of $184.79. The stock has a market capitalization of $44.26 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.54, a PEG ratio of 2.81 and a beta of 1.42. The company has a quick ratio of 1.11, a current ratio of 1.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $131.28 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $137.82.

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

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 3rd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, January 30th will be paid a dividend of $1.13 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, January 30th. This represents a $4.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.23%. This is an increase from Valero Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.07. Valero Energy’s payout ratio is currently 38.39%.

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.