Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) Shares Sold by Pinnacle Financial Partners Inc

Pinnacle Financial Partners Inc lowered its position in shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 15.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 154,180 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 27,916 shares during the period. Pinnacle Financial Partners Inc’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $18,972,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. New Wave Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Valero Energy in the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Peterson Financial Group Inc. acquired a new position in Valero Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at about $28,000. Tobam acquired a new position in Valero Energy in the 4th quarter valued at about $30,000. True Wealth Design LLC increased its position in Valero Energy by 196.8% in the 3rd quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 276 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $37,000 after acquiring an additional 183 shares during the period. Finally, Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in Valero Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at about $38,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Valero Energy Trading Down 3.2 %

VLO stock opened at $134.67 on Friday. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $131.06 and a 200-day simple moving average of $135.87. 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. The company has a market cap of $42.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.88, a PEG ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 1.42.

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 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%. On average, equities research analysts expect that Valero Energy Co. will post 7.92 EPS for the current year.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 3rd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, January 30th will be given a $1.13 dividend. This is a boost from Valero Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.07. This represents a $4.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.36%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, January 30th. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 53.30%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on Valero Energy from $160.00 to $159.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 31st. TD Cowen decreased their price target on Valero Energy from $145.00 to $140.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Barclays decreased their price target on Valero Energy from $146.00 to $140.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, November 11th. Mizuho decreased their price target 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. Finally, Tudor Pickering upgraded Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average 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.