Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) Shares Sold by WASHINGTON TRUST Co

WASHINGTON TRUST Co cut its stake in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 40.7% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 371 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 255 shares during the period. WASHINGTON TRUST Co’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $45,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. New Wave Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Valero Energy in the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Peterson Financial Group Inc. acquired a new stake in Valero Energy in the third quarter worth $28,000. Tobam acquired a new stake in Valero Energy in the fourth quarter worth $30,000. True Wealth Design LLC increased its position in 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 worth $37,000 after buying an additional 183 shares during the period. Finally, Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in Valero Energy in the third quarter worth $38,000. 78.69% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Valero Energy Trading Up 3.4 %

Shares of VLO stock opened at $135.49 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $130.55 and a 200 day simple moving average of $136.52. Valero Energy Co. has a fifty-two week low of $116.84 and a fifty-two week high of $184.79. The stock has a market capitalization of $42.89 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.98, a P/E/G ratio of 2.85 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.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The oil and gas company reported $0.64 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.14 by $0.50. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 9.58% and a net margin of 2.13%. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Valero Energy Co. will post 7.86 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 3rd. Investors of record on Thursday, January 30th will be given 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.34%. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 53.30%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have weighed in on VLO. Barclays dropped their target price 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. Tudor Pickering raised Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. TD Cowen decreased their price target on Valero Energy from $145.00 to $140.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Citigroup decreased their price target on Valero Energy from $192.00 to $176.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Finally, Mizuho decreased their price target on Valero Energy from $165.00 to $158.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. 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 given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $154.46.

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.