Rockland Trust Co. Sells 212 Shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Rockland Trust Co. reduced its holdings in shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 4.5% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 4,498 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 212 shares during the period. Rockland Trust Co.’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $594,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. World Investment Advisors boosted its position in shares of Valero Energy by 1.8% during the 4th quarter. World Investment Advisors now owns 4,323 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $530,000 after purchasing an additional 78 shares in the last quarter. Silver Coast Investments LLC raised its stake in Valero Energy by 1.7% during the 4th quarter. Silver Coast Investments LLC now owns 5,070 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $622,000 after buying an additional 83 shares during the period. Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators grew its stake in Valero Energy by 6.6% in the fourth quarter. Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators now owns 1,514 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $186,000 after acquiring an additional 94 shares during the period. Providence Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in Valero Energy by 1.1% in the fourth quarter. Providence Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 8,878 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $1,086,000 after acquiring an additional 94 shares during the period. Finally, KCM Investment Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 1.8% during the fourth quarter. KCM Investment Advisors LLC now owns 5,497 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $674,000 after acquiring an additional 99 shares in the last quarter. 78.69% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on VLO shares. Mizuho increased their target price on Valero Energy from $158.00 to $166.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 13th. Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $160.00 to $145.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 24th. TD Cowen reduced their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $121.00 to $118.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, April 25th. The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded shares of Valero Energy from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their target price for the stock from $127.00 to $154.00 in a report on Tuesday, May 13th. Finally, Piper Sandler dropped their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $144.00 to $140.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, May 9th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $151.93.

Valero Energy Price Performance

Valero Energy stock opened at $134.04 on Friday. Valero Energy Co. has a 52 week low of $99.00 and a 52 week high of $167.78. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $122.26 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $127.56. The stock has a market cap of $41.98 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.81, a P/E/G ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 0.99. 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 issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The oil and gas company reported $0.89 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.16 by ($0.27). The business had revenue of $28.76 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $28.54 billion. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 9.58% and a net margin of 2.13%. The business’s revenue was down 4.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $3.82 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts predict that Valero Energy Co. will post 7.92 earnings per share for the current year.

Valero Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 18th. Investors of record on Tuesday, May 20th will be issued a $1.13 dividend. This represents a $4.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.37%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, May 20th. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 159.72%.

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.