Beacon Investment Advisory Services Inc. Has $3.12 Million Position in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Beacon Investment Advisory Services Inc. trimmed its position in shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 2.5% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 25,447 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 652 shares during the quarter. Beacon Investment Advisory Services Inc.’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $3,120,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in VLO. Peterson Financial Group Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Valero Energy in the third quarter worth $28,000. Compagnie Lombard Odier SCmA bought a new stake in shares of Valero Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at about $34,000. True Wealth Design LLC grew its position in shares of Valero Energy by 196.8% in the 3rd quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 276 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $37,000 after buying an additional 183 shares during the last quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Valero Energy in the third quarter valued at about $38,000. Finally, Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new position in shares of Valero Energy during the third quarter worth about $50,000. 78.69% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on the stock. BMO Capital Markets reduced their price objective 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 objective on shares of Valero Energy from $173.00 to $141.00 and set a “sector outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, October 10th. Citigroup reduced their target price on Valero Energy from $192.00 to $176.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on Valero Energy from $165.00 to $160.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, December 9th. Finally, TD Cowen reduced their price objective on Valero Energy from $145.00 to $140.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, October 25th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Valero Energy currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $154.57.

Valero Energy Stock Down 3.2 %

Valero Energy stock opened at $135.00 on Thursday. Valero Energy Co. has a fifty-two week low of $116.84 and a fifty-two week high of $184.79. 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 firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $131.27 and its 200 day simple moving average is $137.96. The stock has a market cap of $42.74 billion, a PE ratio of 12.11, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.90 and a beta of 1.42.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The oil and gas company reported $1.14 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.98 by $0.16. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 13.07% and a net margin of 2.74%. The company had revenue of $32.88 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $31.04 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $7.49 earnings per share. Valero Energy’s revenue was down 14.4% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts predict that Valero Energy Co. will post 7.93 EPS 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. Stockholders of record on Thursday, January 30th will be given a dividend of $1.13 per share. 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. This represents a $4.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.35%. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 38.39%.

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.