Capital Investment Advisors LLC Reduces Stock Position in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Capital Investment Advisors LLC lessened its holdings in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO - Free Report) by 14.1% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 70,067 shares of the oil and gas company's stock after selling 11,505 shares during the period. Capital Investment Advisors LLC's holdings in Valero Energy were worth $8,589,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of VLO. Peterson Financial Group Inc. acquired a new position in Valero Energy during the 3rd quarter worth $28,000. Compagnie Lombard Odier SCmA acquired a new position in shares of Valero Energy during the third quarter worth about $34,000. True Wealth Design LLC increased its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 196.8% during the third quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 276 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $37,000 after buying an additional 183 shares during the period. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in Valero Energy in the third quarter valued at approximately $38,000. Finally, Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new position in Valero Energy in the third quarter worth approximately $50,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.69% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have commented on VLO. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $172.00 to $151.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, October 2nd. The Goldman Sachs Group cut their target price on Valero Energy from $149.00 to $131.00 and set a "sell" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, September 16th. TD Cowen decreased their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $145.00 to $140.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, October 25th. BMO Capital Markets cut their target price on Valero Energy from $175.00 to $165.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, October 4th. Finally, Barclays reduced their target price on Valero Energy from $146.00 to $140.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Monday, November 11th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $154.57.

Valero Energy Stock Performance

VLO traded up $6.34 during trading on Monday, hitting $133.49. The stock had a trading volume of 5,177,947 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,759,177. Valero Energy Co. has a twelve month low of $116.84 and a twelve month high of $184.79. The firm has a market capitalization of $42.26 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.97, a PEG ratio of 2.43 and a beta of 1.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a current ratio of 1.57. The company's 50-day moving average price is $130.99 and its 200 day moving average price is $138.89.

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

Valero Energy Dividend Announcement

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

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.