Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) Shares Sold by EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC

EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC decreased its stake in shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 1.4% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 4,673 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 68 shares during the period. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $747,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of VLO. Fifth Third Bancorp grew its stake in Valero Energy by 22.9% during the fourth quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 14,705 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $1,912,000 after buying an additional 2,742 shares during the period. Patten & Patten Inc. TN boosted its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 6.0% in the fourth quarter. Patten & Patten Inc. TN now owns 1,753 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $228,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the period. Independence Bank of Kentucky boosted its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 71.0% in the fourth quarter. Independence Bank of Kentucky now owns 1,479 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $192,000 after purchasing an additional 614 shares during the period. Private Trust Co. NA boosted its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 3.5% in the fourth quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 3,825 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $497,000 after purchasing an additional 128 shares during the period. Finally, SteelPeak Wealth LLC boosted its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 216.9% in the fourth quarter. SteelPeak Wealth LLC now owns 81,275 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $10,566,000 after purchasing an additional 55,631 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Kimberly S. Greene sold 720 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $158.12, for a total transaction of $113,846.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 13,314 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,105,209.68. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.04% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on VLO shares. TD Cowen decreased their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $190.00 to $185.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 29th. Barclays reduced their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $171.00 to $165.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, July 9th. Wolfe Research started coverage on shares of Valero Energy in a report on Thursday, July 18th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $177.00 target price on the stock. StockNews.com cut shares of Valero Energy from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 17th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $156.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, July 26th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $174.00.

Valero Energy Price Performance

Valero Energy stock traded down $7.89 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $148.56. 3,457,861 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,709,691. The firm has a market cap of $48.58 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.36, a P/E/G ratio of 2.84 and a beta of 1.42. The company has a quick ratio of 1.04, a current ratio of 1.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $153.10 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $154.18. Valero Energy Co. has a 1-year low of $119.88 and a 1-year high of $184.79.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last released its earnings results on Thursday, July 25th. The oil and gas company reported $2.71 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.60 by $0.11. Valero Energy had a net margin of 4.25% and a return on equity of 21.01%. The firm had revenue of $34.49 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $32.97 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $5.40 EPS. Valero Energy’s quarterly revenue was down .1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts forecast that Valero Energy Co. will post 13.06 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 3rd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, August 1st will be given a dividend of $1.07 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 1st. This represents a $4.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.88%. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 21.20%.

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.