Wright Investors Service Inc. Cuts Stock Holdings in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Wright Investors Service Inc. cut its stake in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 42.5% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 4,528 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 3,352 shares during the period. Wright Investors Service Inc.’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $555,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently commented on VLO shares. Citigroup dropped their target price on Valero Energy from $192.00 to $176.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, October 25th. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their target price on Valero Energy from $149.00 to $131.00 and set a “sell” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, September 16th. Barclays dropped their price target on shares of 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 reduced their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $165.00 to $158.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Finally, Bank of America assumed coverage on shares of Valero Energy in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $150.00 price target on the stock. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Valero Energy presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $154.57.

Valero Energy Stock Performance

Shares of VLO stock opened at $133.49 on Tuesday. Valero Energy Co. has a 52-week low of $116.84 and a 52-week high of $184.79. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $131.06 and its 200 day moving average price is $138.75. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $42.26 billion, a PE ratio of 11.97, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.43 and a beta of 1.42.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last released its earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The oil and gas company reported $1.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.98 by $0.16. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 13.07% and a net margin of 2.74%. The business had revenue of $32.88 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $31.04 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $7.49 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 14.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Valero Energy Co. will post 8.86 EPS for the current year.

Valero Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 20th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, November 20th were paid a $1.07 dividend. This represents a $4.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.21%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, November 20th. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 38.39%.

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.