Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) Shares Sold by Stratos Wealth Partners LTD.

Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. cut its position in shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 8.6% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 19,958 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 1,867 shares during the quarter. Stratos Wealth Partners LTD.’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $2,447,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in VLO. Yousif Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Valero Energy by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. Yousif Capital Management LLC now owns 52,379 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $6,421,000 after buying an additional 425 shares during the last quarter. Paragon Capital Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Valero Energy during the fourth quarter worth about $1,749,000. Guidance Capital Inc. bought a new position in Valero Energy in the fourth quarter worth about $803,000. Avitas Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in Valero Energy by 0.8% in the fourth quarter. Avitas Wealth Management LLC now owns 40,049 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $4,910,000 after acquiring an additional 309 shares during the period. Finally, One Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Valero Energy by 24.8% during the 4th quarter. One Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 4,394 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $539,000 after purchasing an additional 872 shares during the period. 78.69% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Valero Energy Trading Down 0.9 %

Shares of Valero Energy stock opened at $133.05 on Friday. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $130.78 and a 200-day simple moving average of $137.31. The firm has a market cap of $42.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.69, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.67 and a beta of 1.42. 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 quick ratio of 1.11, a current ratio of 1.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35.

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, beating 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%. On average, equities analysts forecast that Valero Energy Co. will post 8.29 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 3rd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, January 30th will be issued a $1.13 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, January 30th. This represents a $4.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.40%. This is a boost from Valero Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.07. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 53.30%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on VLO shares. TD Cowen reduced their price objective on Valero Energy from $145.00 to $140.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Barclays lowered their price target 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. Tudor Pickering raised shares of Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Piper Sandler upgraded shares of Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 10th. Finally, Citigroup decreased their price objective on Valero Energy from $192.00 to $176.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, October 25th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Valero Energy presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $154.46.

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.