Greenleaf Trust Trims Position in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Greenleaf Trust lessened its stake in shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 8.2% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 6,101 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 546 shares during the quarter. Greenleaf Trust’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $748,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Quad Cities Investment Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 1.6% during the third quarter. Quad Cities Investment Group LLC now owns 4,851 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $655,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares in the last quarter. Providence Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 0.9% during the third quarter. Providence Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 8,784 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $1,169,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares in the last quarter. New Century Financial Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 5.0% during the third quarter. New Century Financial Group LLC now owns 1,708 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $231,000 after purchasing an additional 81 shares in the last quarter. Segment Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 1.7% during the fourth quarter. Segment Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,947 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $606,000 after purchasing an additional 81 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Opal Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 4.7% during the third quarter. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,834 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $248,000 after purchasing an additional 82 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on VLO. Citigroup lowered their price target on Valero Energy from $192.00 to $176.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, October 25th. Scotiabank lowered their target price on Valero Energy from $173.00 to $141.00 and set a “sector outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, October 10th. Bank of America began coverage on Valero Energy in a report on Thursday, October 17th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $150.00 target price on the stock. Piper Sandler raised Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 10th. Finally, TD Cowen lowered their target price on Valero Energy from $145.00 to $140.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, October 25th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Valero Energy presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $154.46.

Valero Energy Stock Performance

NYSE:VLO opened at $142.95 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.57, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. Valero Energy Co. has a 12-month low of $116.84 and a 12-month high of $184.79. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $130.76 and a 200 day moving average price of $137.35. The stock has a market capitalization of $45.26 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.86, a P/E/G ratio of 2.67 and a beta of 1.42.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last released its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The oil and gas company reported $0.64 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.14 by $0.50. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 9.58% and a net margin of 2.13%. Equities research analysts forecast that Valero Energy Co. will post 8.29 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. Investors of record on Thursday, January 30th will be given a dividend of $1.13 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, January 30th. This represents a $4.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.16%. This is a boost from Valero Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.07. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 53.30%.

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.