1620 Investment Advisors Inc. Sells 362 Shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

1620 Investment Advisors Inc. lowered its stake in shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 12.7% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 2,480 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 362 shares during the quarter. 1620 Investment Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $322,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. BKM Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Valero Energy in the 4th quarter worth $26,000. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Valero Energy in the 3rd quarter worth $28,000. Wetzel Investment Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Valero Energy in the 4th quarter worth $36,000. FSC Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Valero Energy in the 4th quarter worth $38,000. Finally, Authentikos Wealth Advisory LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Valero Energy in the 3rd quarter worth $42,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Valero Energy Stock Performance

VLO stock traded down $0.39 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $162.00. 2,463,843 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,169,435. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a current ratio of 1.59 and a quick ratio of 1.10. Valero Energy Co. has a 1 year low of $105.66 and a 1 year high of $184.79. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $166.39 and its 200 day simple moving average is $144.46. The company has a market cap of $52.97 billion, a PE ratio of 8.04, a P/E/G ratio of 1.50 and a beta of 1.55.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 25th. The oil and gas company reported $3.82 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.18 by $0.64. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 24.82% and a net margin of 5.01%. The company had revenue of $31.76 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $32.02 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $8.27 earnings per share. Valero Energy’s quarterly revenue was down 12.8% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts expect that Valero Energy Co. will post 18.18 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 28th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 30th will be issued a $1.07 dividend. This represents a $4.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.64%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, May 29th. Valero Energy’s payout ratio is currently 21.20%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on VLO shares. Bank of America upgraded Valero Energy from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their price objective for the stock from $156.00 to $210.00 in a research note on Friday, March 15th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on Valero Energy from $177.00 to $178.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, April 1st. Argus cut Valero Energy from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 16th. Piper Sandler decreased their price objective on Valero Energy from $198.00 to $187.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, May 14th. Finally, Scotiabank upped their target price on Valero Energy from $138.00 to $165.00 and gave the company a “sector outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 11th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $173.87.

Insider Buying and Selling at Valero Energy

In other news, Director Kimberly S. Greene sold 720 shares of Valero Energy stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $158.12, for a total value of $113,846.40. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 13,314 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,105,209.68. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.47% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Valero Energy Company 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.