Sovereign Financial Group Inc. Sells 99 Shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Sovereign Financial Group Inc. trimmed its position in shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 3.1% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 3,049 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 99 shares during the quarter. Sovereign Financial Group Inc.’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $374,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of VLO. Quad Cities Investment Group LLC grew its position in Valero Energy by 12.9% during the 4th quarter. Quad Cities Investment Group LLC now owns 5,479 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $672,000 after acquiring an additional 628 shares during the last quarter. Cullen Investment Group LTD. grew its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 16.9% during the fourth quarter. Cullen Investment Group LTD. now owns 1,772 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $217,000 after purchasing an additional 256 shares during the last quarter. Miracle Mile Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Valero Energy in the fourth quarter valued at $274,000. Elevated Capital Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 34.5% in the fourth quarter. Elevated Capital Advisors LLC now owns 5,617 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $689,000 after buying an additional 1,440 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Kwmg LLC lifted its position in Valero Energy by 5.3% during the 4th quarter. Kwmg LLC now owns 86,063 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $10,551,000 after buying an additional 4,366 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Valero Energy Stock Up 3.0 %

Shares of NYSE:VLO opened at $138.10 on Thursday. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $131.10 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $138.59. 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 market capitalization of $43.72 billion, a PE ratio of 12.39, a PEG ratio of 2.43 and a beta of 1.42. 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 quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 24th. The oil and gas company reported $1.14 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.98 by $0.16. The business had revenue of $32.88 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $31.04 billion. Valero Energy had a net margin of 2.74% and a return on equity of 13.07%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 14.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $7.49 EPS. Analysts forecast that Valero Energy Co. will post 8.86 earnings per share for the current year.

Valero Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 20th. Investors of record on Wednesday, November 20th were given a $1.07 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, November 20th. This represents a $4.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.10%. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 38.39%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on VLO shares. Piper Sandler raised shares of Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 10th. Barclays dropped their price objective 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. Mizuho decreased their price objective on Valero Energy from $165.00 to $158.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. BMO Capital Markets dropped their target price on Valero Energy from $175.00 to $165.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, October 4th. Finally, Bank of America assumed coverage on Valero Energy in a report on Thursday, October 17th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $150.00 price target on the stock. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Valero Energy presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $154.57.

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.