Missouri Trust & Investment Co Sells 270 Shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Missouri Trust & Investment Co cut its position in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 50.0% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 270 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 270 shares during the period. Missouri Trust & Investment Co’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $33,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 0.5% in the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 10,287,269 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $1,389,090,000 after acquiring an additional 50,837 shares in the last quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. boosted its stake in Valero Energy by 2.8% in the second quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 6,956,743 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $1,090,532,000 after purchasing an additional 192,397 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. increased its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 5.6% in the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 4,687,585 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $639,268,000 after buying an additional 247,630 shares in the last quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. increased its position in Valero Energy by 18.8% in the 3rd quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 3,585,166 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $484,105,000 after acquiring an additional 567,059 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP raised its position in Valero Energy by 4,908.0% in the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 2,850,526 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $384,907,000 after purchasing an additional 2,793,607 shares during the last quarter. 78.69% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Valero Energy Stock Performance

Shares of VLO stock opened at $139.50 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a current ratio of 1.57. Valero Energy Co. has a 52 week low of $116.84 and a 52 week high of $184.79. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $131.31 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $138.08. The company has a market capitalization of $44.16 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.51, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 1.42.

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

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 3rd. Investors of record on Thursday, January 30th will be issued a dividend of $1.13 per share. This is a boost from Valero Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.07. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, January 30th. This represents a $4.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.24%. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 38.39%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently commented on VLO. Barclays lowered their target price on Valero Energy from $146.00 to $140.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, November 11th. BMO Capital Markets reduced their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $175.00 to $165.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, October 4th. Scotiabank dropped their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $173.00 to $141.00 and set a “sector outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, October 10th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $165.00 to $160.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, December 9th. Finally, Citigroup reduced their price target on Valero Energy from $192.00 to $176.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, October 25th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $154.57.

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.