Arvest Investments Inc. Decreases Holdings in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Arvest Investments Inc. trimmed its holdings in shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 1.9% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 13,268 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 255 shares during the period. Arvest Investments Inc.’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $1,627,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. New Wave Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Valero Energy in the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Tobam purchased a new stake in shares of Valero Energy in the 4th quarter valued at about $30,000. True Wealth Design LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 196.8% in the 3rd quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 276 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $37,000 after purchasing an additional 183 shares during the last quarter. OFI Invest Asset Management purchased a new stake in shares of Valero Energy in the 4th quarter valued at about $37,000. Finally, Golden State Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Valero Energy in the 4th quarter valued at about $38,000. 78.69% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have commented on VLO. Piper Sandler reduced their price objective on Valero Energy from $149.00 to $144.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, March 7th. Mizuho reduced their price objective on Valero Energy from $165.00 to $158.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Tudor Pickering raised Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on Valero Energy from $160.00 to $159.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 31st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $156.08.

Valero Energy Stock Performance

NYSE VLO opened at $133.89 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $42.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.79, a PEG ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 1.36. The company has a current ratio of 1.57, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. The business’s 50 day moving average is $133.68 and its two-hundred day moving average is $133.58. Valero Energy Co. has a 12-month low of $116.84 and a 12-month high of $184.79.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The oil and gas company reported $0.64 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.14 by $0.50. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 9.58% and a net margin of 2.13%. Research analysts expect that Valero Energy Co. will post 7.92 EPS for the current year.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 3rd. Investors of record on Thursday, January 30th were issued a $1.13 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, January 30th. This represents a $4.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.38%. This is a boost from Valero Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.07. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 53.30%.

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.