MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB Cuts Position in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB lowered its stake in shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 9.1% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 38,562 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 3,845 shares during the quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $4,727,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on VLO shares. Mizuho decreased their price objective on Valero Energy from $165.00 to $158.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $172.00 to $151.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, October 2nd. TD Cowen reduced their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $145.00 to $140.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on Valero Energy from $165.00 to $160.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, December 9th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $154.57.

Valero Energy Price Performance

VLO stock opened at $141.21 on Tuesday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $131.25 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $138.20. The stock has a market cap of $44.70 billion, a PE ratio of 12.66, a P/E/G ratio of 2.43 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 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 announced its earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The oil and gas company reported $1.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.98 by $0.16. Valero Energy had a net margin of 2.74% and a return on equity of 13.07%. The company had revenue of $32.88 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $31.04 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $7.49 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 14.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts predict that Valero Energy Co. will post 7.96 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed 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 represents a $4.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.20%. This is a boost from Valero Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.07. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, January 30th. 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.