AXQ Capital LP Lowers Position in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

AXQ Capital LP decreased its stake in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 70.8% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 4,486 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 10,898 shares during the quarter. AXQ Capital LP’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $550,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in VLO. New Wave Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Valero Energy in the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Tobam purchased a new stake in shares of Valero Energy in the fourth quarter worth $30,000. True Wealth Design LLC raised its position in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 183 shares during the period. OFI Invest Asset Management purchased a new position in shares of Valero Energy during the 4th quarter valued at $37,000. Finally, Golden State Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Valero Energy in the 4th quarter worth $38,000. Institutional investors own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have commented on VLO. Mizuho decreased their price target on Valero Energy from $165.00 to $158.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on Valero Energy from $160.00 to $159.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 31st. Tudor Pickering raised shares of Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, 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 report on Friday, March 7th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $156.08.

Valero Energy Price Performance

VLO stock opened at $131.42 on Friday. Valero Energy Co. has a 52 week low of $116.84 and a 52 week high of $184.79. The firm has a market capitalization 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 fifty day simple moving average of $133.96 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $133.43. 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 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 anticipate that Valero Energy Co. will post 7.92 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 3rd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, January 30th were issued a $1.13 dividend. This is a boost from Valero Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.07. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, January 30th. This represents a $4.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.44%. Valero Energy’s payout ratio is 53.30%.

Valero Energy Company 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.