Farmers & Merchants Trust Co of Chambersburg PA Sells 3,361 Shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Farmers & Merchants Trust Co of Chambersburg PA lowered its position in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 30.4% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 7,684 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 3,361 shares during the period. Farmers & Merchants Trust Co of Chambersburg PA’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $942,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of VLO. Quad Cities Investment Group LLC grew its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 1.6% during the 3rd quarter. Quad Cities Investment Group LLC now owns 4,851 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $655,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares during the period. Providence Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in Valero Energy by 0.9% during the third quarter. Providence Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 8,784 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $1,169,000 after buying an additional 75 shares during the period. New Century Financial Group LLC grew its position in Valero Energy by 5.0% during the third quarter. New Century Financial Group LLC now owns 1,708 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $231,000 after buying an additional 81 shares during the period. Segment Wealth Management LLC grew its position in Valero Energy by 1.7% during the fourth quarter. Segment Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,947 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $606,000 after buying an additional 81 shares during the period. Finally, Opal Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Valero Energy by 4.7% during the 3rd quarter. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,834 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $248,000 after acquiring an additional 82 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

VLO has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Tudor Pickering raised shares of Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Citigroup cut their price target on Valero Energy from $192.00 to $176.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, October 25th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on Valero Energy from $160.00 to $159.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 31st. Mizuho cut their price objective 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. Finally, Bank of America started coverage on Valero Energy in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $150.00 price objective for the company. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $154.46.

Valero Energy Trading Up 0.1 %

VLO stock opened at $131.03 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a current ratio of 1.57 and a quick ratio of 1.11. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $130.51 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $136.71. Valero Energy Co. has a 1-year low of $116.84 and a 1-year high of $184.79. The company has a market capitalization of $41.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.45, a PEG ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 1.42.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The oil and gas company reported $0.64 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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%. Research analysts anticipate that Valero Energy Co. will post 7.86 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 3rd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, January 30th will be issued a dividend of $1.13 per share. This represents a $4.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.45%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, January 30th. This is an increase from Valero Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.07. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio is 53.30%.

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.