St. Johns Investment Management Company LLC Sells 179 Shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

St. Johns Investment Management Company LLC decreased its holdings in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 3.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 5,234 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 179 shares during the period. St. Johns Investment Management Company LLC’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $642,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of VLO. Peterson Financial Group Inc. purchased a new position in Valero Energy in the 3rd quarter worth about $28,000. Compagnie Lombard Odier SCmA purchased a new position in shares of Valero Energy during the third quarter valued at approximately $34,000. True Wealth Design LLC lifted its position in Valero Energy by 196.8% during the third quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 276 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $37,000 after purchasing an additional 183 shares during the period. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in Valero Energy in the third quarter worth approximately $38,000. Finally, Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in Valero Energy during the 3rd quarter valued at $50,000. 78.69% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently commented on VLO shares. Piper Sandler raised Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on Valero Energy from $172.00 to $151.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, October 2nd. 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 note on Wednesday, January 8th. Barclays cut their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $146.00 to $140.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, November 11th. Finally, Scotiabank lowered their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $173.00 to $141.00 and set a “sector outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, October 10th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned 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 an average target price of $154.57.

Valero Energy Stock Performance

Valero Energy stock opened at $140.75 on Friday. 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 twelve month low of $116.84 and a twelve month high of $184.79. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $131.27 and its 200-day moving average price is $137.96. The company has a market cap of $44.56 billion, a PE ratio of 12.62, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.81 and a beta of 1.42.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 24th. The oil and gas company reported $1.14 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.98 by $0.16. The company had revenue of $32.88 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $31.04 billion. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 13.07% and a net margin of 2.74%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 14.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $7.49 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Valero Energy Co. will post 7.93 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 3rd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, January 30th will be given a dividend of $1.13 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, January 30th. This represents a $4.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.21%. This is an increase from Valero Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.07. Valero Energy’s payout ratio is currently 40.54%.

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.