Commonwealth Equity Services LLC Sells 24,132 Shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Commonwealth Equity Services LLC cut its holdings in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 10.2% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 212,693 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 24,132 shares during the period. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $26,074,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of VLO. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Valero Energy by 1.2% in the third quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. now owns 25,497 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $3,443,000 after purchasing an additional 304 shares in the last quarter. Plato Investment Management Ltd boosted its holdings in Valero Energy by 16.6% in the third quarter. Plato Investment Management Ltd now owns 2,088 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $282,000 after purchasing an additional 298 shares in the last quarter. Metis Global Partners LLC boosted its holdings in Valero Energy by 13.1% during the third quarter. Metis Global Partners LLC now owns 17,583 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $2,374,000 after acquiring an additional 2,036 shares during the period. Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd. boosted its holdings in Valero Energy by 1.5% during the third quarter. Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 9,585 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $1,294,000 after acquiring an additional 146 shares during the period. Finally, Lifeworks Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Valero Energy by 35.2% during the third quarter. Lifeworks Advisors LLC now owns 1,737 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $234,000 after acquiring an additional 452 shares during the period. 78.69% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Valero Energy Stock Performance

NYSE:VLO opened at $129.20 on Friday. Valero Energy Co. has a 12-month low of $116.84 and a 12-month 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. The firm has a market capitalization of $40.70 billion, a PE ratio of 15.24, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 1.36. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $133.12 and a 200 day moving average price of $133.79.

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

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 3rd. Investors of record on Thursday, January 30th were given a $1.13 dividend. This represents a $4.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.50%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, January 30th. This is a positive change from Valero Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.07. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio is 53.30%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Mizuho decreased their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $165.00 to $158.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $160.00 to $159.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 31st. Piper Sandler decreased their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $149.00 to $144.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, March 7th. Finally, Tudor Pickering upgraded shares of Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $156.08.

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.