Advisory Services Network LLC Sells 4,074 Shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Advisory Services Network LLC cut its stake in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 10.8% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 33,731 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 4,074 shares during the period. Advisory Services Network LLC’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $4,135,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Valero Energy during the 4th quarter worth approximately $669,400,000. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in Valero Energy by 16.1% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 34,725,700 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $4,257,024,000 after acquiring an additional 4,805,133 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in Valero Energy in the 4th quarter valued at $132,469,000. Prudential Financial Inc. increased its position in Valero Energy by 159.3% during the 4th quarter. Prudential Financial Inc. now owns 850,161 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $104,221,000 after buying an additional 522,233 shares during the period. Finally, Pacer Advisors Inc. increased its position in Valero Energy by 13.6% during the 4th quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 4,072,188 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $499,210,000 after buying an additional 487,022 shares during the period. 78.69% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Valero Energy Stock Up 10.5 %

Valero Energy stock opened at $116.24 on Thursday. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $129.18 and a 200 day moving average of $132.05. Valero Energy Co. has a one year low of $99.00 and a one year high of $178.39. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a current ratio of 1.57. The stock has a market cap of $36.61 billion, a PE ratio of 13.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 1.17.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The oil and gas company reported $0.64 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.14 by $0.50. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 9.58% and a net margin of 2.13%. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Valero Energy Co. will post 7.92 EPS for the current year.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 3rd. Investors of record on Thursday, January 30th were given a $1.13 dividend. This is an increase from Valero Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.07. This represents a $4.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.89%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, January 30th. Valero Energy’s payout ratio is currently 53.30%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently commented on the company. Tudor Pickering upgraded Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on Valero Energy from $160.00 to $159.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Raymond James cut their price target on Valero Energy from $165.00 to $155.00 and set a “strong-buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday. Mizuho cut their price objective on Valero Energy from $165.00 to $158.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Finally, Piper Sandler lowered their target price on Valero Energy from $149.00 to $144.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, March 7th. 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 stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $152.85.

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.