Wambolt & Associates LLC Sells 1,382 Shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Wambolt & Associates LLC cut its holdings in shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 12.6% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 9,609 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 1,382 shares during the quarter. Wambolt & Associates LLC’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $1,178,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in VLO. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Valero Energy by 16.1% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 34,725,700 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $4,257,024,000 after purchasing an additional 4,805,133 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Valero Energy by 4.0% in the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 10,701,232 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $1,311,864,000 after buying an additional 413,963 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its position in Valero Energy by 5.6% during the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 4,687,585 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $639,268,000 after acquiring an additional 247,630 shares in the last quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 13.6% during the 4th quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 4,072,188 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $499,210,000 after acquiring an additional 487,022 shares during the period. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP raised its position in shares of Valero Energy by 4,908.0% in the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 2,850,526 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $384,907,000 after acquiring an additional 2,793,607 shares in the last quarter. 78.69% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Valero Energy Stock Performance

NYSE:VLO opened at $132.00 on Tuesday. 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 stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $133.93 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $133.36. The firm has a market capitalization of $41.58 billion, a PE ratio of 15.57, a P/E/G ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 1.36. Valero Energy Co. has a 52-week low of $116.84 and a 52-week high of $184.79.

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 net margin of 2.13% and a return on equity of 9.58%. Analysts forecast that Valero Energy Co. will post 7.92 EPS for the current year.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 3rd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, January 30th were paid a $1.13 dividend. This represents a $4.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.42%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, January 30th. This is a positive change from Valero Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.07. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 53.30%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

VLO has been the topic of several research reports. Tudor Pickering upgraded Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Piper Sandler dropped their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $149.00 to $144.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, March 7th. Mizuho reduced their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $165.00 to $158.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on Valero Energy from $160.00 to $159.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock 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 stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $156.08.

Valero Energy Company 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.