Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) Shares Sold by MidWestOne Financial Group Inc.

MidWestOne Financial Group Inc. reduced its position in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 2.4% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 6,579 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 164 shares during the period. MidWestOne Financial Group Inc.’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $807,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. New Wave Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Valero Energy in the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Tobam acquired a new position in Valero Energy in the 4th quarter worth about $30,000. OFI Invest Asset Management purchased a new position in Valero Energy during the fourth quarter worth approximately $37,000. Golden State Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Valero Energy in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $38,000. Finally, Creative Capital Management Investments LLC lifted its position in shares of Valero Energy by 122.0% during the 4th quarter. Creative Capital Management Investments LLC now owns 333 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $41,000 after buying an additional 183 shares in the last quarter. 78.69% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

VLO has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Scotiabank decreased their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $156.00 to $136.00 and set a “sector outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 11th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $160.00 to $159.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 31st. UBS Group cut their price objective on Valero Energy from $160.00 to $150.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 28th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on Valero Energy from $152.00 to $147.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 28th. Finally, Mizuho boosted their price target on Valero Energy from $158.00 to $166.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 13th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $151.93.

Valero Energy Stock Down 3.3%

Shares of NYSE:VLO opened at $127.79 on Thursday. Valero Energy Co. has a 52-week low of $99.00 and a 52-week high of $167.78. The stock has a market cap of $40.03 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.07, a PEG ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 0.98. The business has a fifty day moving average of $121.36 and a two-hundred day moving average of $128.62. The company has a quick ratio of 1.11, a current ratio of 1.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 24th. The oil and gas company reported $0.89 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.16 by ($0.27). Valero Energy had a net margin of 2.13% and a return on equity of 9.58%. The firm had revenue of $28.76 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $28.54 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $3.82 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 4.7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts expect that Valero Energy Co. will post 7.92 earnings per share for the current year.

Valero Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 18th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, May 20th will be given a dividend of $1.13 per share. This represents a $4.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.54%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, May 20th. Valero Energy’s payout ratio is presently 159.72%.

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.