Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) Stock Holdings Decreased by First Horizon Advisors Inc.

First Horizon Advisors Inc. cut its stake in shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 2.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 3,740 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 87 shares during the period. First Horizon Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $459,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. New Wave Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Valero Energy during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Peterson Financial Group Inc. purchased a new position in Valero Energy during the third quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Tobam purchased a new position in Valero Energy during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. True Wealth Design LLC grew its position in Valero Energy by 196.8% during the third 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in Valero Energy during the third quarter valued at approximately $38,000. 78.69% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

VLO has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. 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 report on Friday, January 31st. Barclays reduced their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $146.00 to $140.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, November 11th. Mizuho reduced their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $165.00 to $158.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Tudor Pickering upgraded shares of Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, Piper Sandler upgraded shares of Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 10th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $154.46.

Valero Energy Price Performance

NYSE:VLO opened at $135.10 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $42.77 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.93, a PEG ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 1.42. Valero Energy Co. has a one year low of $116.84 and a one year high of $184.79. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $131.26 and a 200 day moving average price of $135.57. 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 (NYSE:VLO) last released its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The oil and gas company reported $0.64 EPS for the quarter, beating 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%. Analysts anticipate that Valero Energy Co. will post 7.92 earnings per share for the current year.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 3rd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, January 30th will be issued a $1.13 dividend. This represents a $4.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.35%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, January 30th. This is a positive change from Valero Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.07. Valero Energy’s payout ratio is 53.30%.

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.