Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) Stock Position Trimmed by Vinva Investment Management Ltd

Vinva Investment Management Ltd cut its position in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 82.8% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 2,649 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 12,792 shares during the quarter. Vinva Investment Management Ltd’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $317,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. New Wave Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Valero Energy during the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Tobam acquired a new position in Valero Energy during the 4th quarter valued at about $30,000. True Wealth Design LLC increased its stake in Valero Energy by 196.8% during the 3rd 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 during the period. OFI Invest Asset Management acquired a new position in Valero Energy during the 4th quarter valued at about $37,000. Finally, Golden State Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Valero Energy during the 4th quarter valued at about $38,000. 78.69% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Valero Energy Stock Performance

Valero Energy stock opened at $131.42 on Friday. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $133.96 and its 200-day simple moving average is $133.48. The company has a market cap of $41.39 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.50, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 1.36. 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 fifty-two week low of $116.84 and a fifty-two week high of $184.79.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last released its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The oil and gas company reported $0.64 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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, equities research analysts predict that Valero Energy Co. will post 7.92 EPS for the current year.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 3rd. Investors of record on Thursday, January 30th were issued a dividend of $1.13 per share. This is a boost from Valero Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.07. This represents a $4.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.44%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, January 30th. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 53.30%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

VLO has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Piper Sandler lowered their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $149.00 to $144.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, March 7th. Mizuho lowered their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $165.00 to $158.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $160.00 to $159.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Tudor Pickering raised shares of Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Valero Energy presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $156.08.

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.