Washington Trust Bank Has $7.54 Million Stock Position in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Washington Trust Bank grew its position in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 1.0% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 58,027 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after purchasing an additional 553 shares during the period. Washington Trust Bank’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $7,544,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. BKM Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Valero Energy in the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Wetzel Investment Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in Valero Energy in the 4th quarter valued at $36,000. FSC Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Valero Energy in the 4th quarter valued at $38,000. McIlrath & Eck LLC boosted its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 40.3% during the 3rd quarter. McIlrath & Eck LLC now owns 303 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $43,000 after buying an additional 87 shares during the last quarter. Finally, DT Investment Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Valero Energy during the 4th quarter worth about $45,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

VLO has been the topic of several analyst reports. Argus lowered Valero Energy from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, May 16th. Barclays cut their price objective on Valero Energy from $179.00 to $173.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 30th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Valero Energy from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $184.00 to $179.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, June 6th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $177.00 to $178.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, April 1st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $173.53.

Valero Energy Stock Performance

Shares of VLO traded down $0.83 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $153.76. 2,083,358 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,111,903. Valero Energy Co. has a twelve month low of $108.28 and a twelve month high of $184.79. The company has a market cap of $50.28 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.60, a PEG ratio of 1.44 and a beta of 1.47. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $163.63 and its 200 day simple moving average is $147.77. The company has a quick ratio of 1.10, a current ratio of 1.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The oil and gas company reported $3.82 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.18 by $0.64. The company had revenue of $31.76 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $32.02 billion. Valero Energy had a net margin of 5.01% and a return on equity of 24.82%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 12.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $8.27 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Valero Energy Co. will post 17.82 earnings per share for the current year.

Valero Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 28th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 30th will be issued a $1.07 dividend. This represents a $4.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.78%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 30th. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 21.20%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Valero Energy

In other news, Director Kimberly S. Greene sold 720 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $158.12, for a total value of $113,846.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 13,314 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,105,209.68. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.47% of the company’s stock.

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.