Stanley Laman Group Ltd. Has $3.34 Million Stock Holdings in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Stanley Laman Group Ltd. cut its holdings in shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 2.4% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 27,229 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 658 shares during the period. Stanley Laman Group Ltd.’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $3,338,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. New Wave Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Valero Energy during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Peterson Financial Group Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Valero Energy in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $28,000. Tobam acquired a new position in shares of Valero Energy in the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. True Wealth Design LLC lifted its position in shares of Valero Energy by 196.8% in the 3rd quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 276 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $37,000 after purchasing an additional 183 shares during the period. Finally, Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Valero Energy in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $38,000. 78.69% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Valero Energy Stock Performance

Shares of VLO stock opened at $130.95 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $41.46 billion, a PE ratio of 15.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 1.42. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $130.58 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $136.75. 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 Co. has a 12 month low of $116.84 and a 12 month high of $184.79.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The oil and gas company reported $0.64 EPS for the quarter, beating 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%. Analysts forecast that Valero Energy Co. will post 7.86 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 3rd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, January 30th will be paid a $1.13 dividend. 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. This represents a $4.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.45%. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 53.30%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on VLO. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $160.00 to $159.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Citigroup dropped their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $192.00 to $176.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, October 25th. TD Cowen dropped their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $145.00 to $140.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Mizuho dropped their price target 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. Finally, 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 report on Monday, November 11th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $154.46.

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.