Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) Shares Sold by Wellington Shields Capital Management LLC

Wellington Shields Capital Management LLC trimmed its position in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 50.0% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 1,500 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 1,500 shares during the quarter. Wellington Shields Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $184,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of VLO. Providence Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 0.9% during the 3rd quarter. Providence Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 8,784 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $1,169,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares during the last quarter. Segment Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in Valero Energy by 1.7% in the 4th quarter. Segment Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,947 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $606,000 after buying an additional 81 shares in the last quarter. Silver Coast Investments LLC increased its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 1.7% in the 4th quarter. Silver Coast Investments LLC now owns 5,070 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $622,000 after acquiring an additional 83 shares during the last quarter. Patrick M Sweeney & Associates Inc. boosted its position in shares of Valero Energy by 2.0% during the 4th quarter. Patrick M Sweeney & Associates Inc. now owns 4,687 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $575,000 after acquiring an additional 90 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators grew its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 6.6% in the fourth quarter. Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators now owns 1,514 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $186,000 after purchasing an additional 94 shares during the period. 78.69% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Valero Energy Trading Up 2.7 %

Shares of VLO stock opened at $129.20 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $40.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.24, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 1.36. Valero Energy Co. has a fifty-two week low of $116.84 and a fifty-two week high of $184.79. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a current ratio of 1.57. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $133.12 and a 200 day moving average price of $133.84.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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%. Equities research analysts predict that Valero Energy Co. will post 7.92 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 3rd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, January 30th were paid a $1.13 dividend. This represents a $4.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.50%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, January 30th. This is a boost from Valero Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.07. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 53.30%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

VLO has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Mizuho reduced their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $165.00 to $158.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Piper Sandler decreased their price objective on Valero Energy from $149.00 to $144.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, March 7th. 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 cut their price objective on Valero Energy from $160.00 to $159.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 31st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $156.08.

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.