Bailard Inc. Sells 1,554 Shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Bailard Inc. decreased its holdings in shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 2.8% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 53,677 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 1,554 shares during the period. Bailard Inc.’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $6,580,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Providence Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in 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 buying an additional 75 shares during the period. Segment Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in 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 worth $606,000 after purchasing an additional 81 shares during the last quarter. Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators lifted its stake in Valero Energy by 6.4% during the third quarter. Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators now owns 1,420 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $192,000 after purchasing an additional 85 shares during the last quarter. Americana Partners LLC lifted its stake 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 worth $254,000 after purchasing an additional 89 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Patrick M Sweeney & Associates Inc. lifted its stake in Valero Energy by 2.0% during the fourth quarter. Patrick M Sweeney & Associates Inc. now owns 4,687 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $575,000 after purchasing an additional 90 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Valero Energy Stock Up 0.7 %

Shares of NYSE:VLO opened at $130.59 on Friday. Valero Energy Co. has a 1 year low of $116.84 and a 1 year high of $184.79. The company has a market cap of $41.34 billion, a PE ratio of 15.40, a P/E/G ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 1.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a current ratio of 1.57 and a quick ratio of 1.11. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $132.06 and its 200 day moving average is $135.14.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The oil and gas company reported $0.64 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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%. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Valero Energy Co. will post 7.92 EPS for the current year.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 3rd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, January 30th will be issued a dividend of $1.13 per share. This is an increase from Valero Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.07. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, January 30th. This represents a $4.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.46%. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio is 53.30%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

VLO has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Mizuho dropped their price target 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. Piper Sandler raised Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 10th. Barclays dropped their price target on Valero Energy from $146.00 to $140.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, November 11th. 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 decreased their price objective on Valero Energy from $160.00 to $159.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 31st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Valero Energy has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $154.46.

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.