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

Jacobi Capital Management LLC reduced its stake in shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 3.3% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 15,252 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 523 shares during the quarter. Jacobi Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $1,870,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in VLO. JFS Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 126.3% during the third quarter. JFS Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 568 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $77,000 after buying an additional 317 shares during the period. Stephens Inc. AR lifted its position in Valero Energy by 3.4% during the third quarter. Stephens Inc. AR now owns 55,632 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $7,512,000 after purchasing an additional 1,828 shares during the period. Gladstone Institutional Advisory LLC lifted its position in Valero Energy by 27.0% during the third quarter. Gladstone Institutional Advisory LLC now owns 1,859 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $251,000 after purchasing an additional 395 shares during the period. Americana Partners LLC lifted its position in Valero Energy by 5.0% during the third quarter. Americana Partners LLC now owns 1,883 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $254,000 after purchasing an additional 89 shares during the period. Finally, Eads & Heald Wealth Management lifted its position in Valero Energy by 7.7% during the third quarter. Eads & Heald Wealth Management now owns 4,743 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $640,000 after purchasing an additional 340 shares during the period. 78.69% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms recently issued reports on VLO. Barclays decreased their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $146.00 to $140.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, November 11th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $160.00 to $159.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Tudor Pickering upgraded shares of Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Mizuho cut their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $165.00 to $158.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Finally, Piper Sandler raised shares of Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 10th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Valero Energy presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $154.46.

Valero Energy Stock Up 0.7 %

VLO stock opened at $130.59 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $41.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.40, a P/E/G ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 1.42. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $132.06 and a 200-day simple moving average of $135.14. The company has a quick ratio of 1.11, a current ratio of 1.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. 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 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.14 by $0.50. Valero Energy had a net margin of 2.13% and a return on equity of 9.58%. Equities analysts forecast that Valero Energy Co. will post 7.92 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 3rd. Investors of record on Thursday, January 30th will be paid a dividend of $1.13 per share. This represents a $4.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.46%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, January 30th. 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 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.