Everence Capital Management Inc. Sells 24,420 Shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Everence Capital Management Inc. cut its holdings in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO - Free Report) by 60.1% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 16,210 shares of the oil and gas company's stock after selling 24,420 shares during the quarter. Everence Capital Management Inc.'s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $1,987,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. TIAA Trust National Association increased its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 4.5% in the 2nd quarter. TIAA Trust National Association now owns 6,603 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $1,035,000 after acquiring an additional 287 shares during the last quarter. Cozad Asset Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Valero Energy in the second quarter worth $218,000. Larson Financial Group LLC boosted its position in shares of Valero Energy by 2,681.3% during the second quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 2,976 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $467,000 after purchasing an additional 2,869 shares in the last quarter. FineMark National Bank & Trust grew its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 2.6% in the 2nd quarter. FineMark National Bank & Trust now owns 19,348 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $3,033,000 after buying an additional 499 shares during the period. Finally, Foster & Motley Inc. increased its position in shares of Valero Energy by 13.0% in the 2nd quarter. Foster & Motley Inc. now owns 16,868 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $2,644,000 after buying an additional 1,947 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.69% of the company's stock.

Valero Energy Stock Up 0.9 %

VLO stock traded up $1.11 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $124.26. The company had a trading volume of 1,932,447 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,019,624. Valero Energy Co. has a 52 week low of $116.84 and a 52 week high of $184.79. The company has a market capitalization of $39.34 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.14, a PEG ratio of 2.43 and a beta of 1.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a current ratio of 1.57 and a quick ratio of 1.11. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $131.46 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $140.00.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The oil and gas company reported $1.14 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.98 by $0.16. The business had revenue of $32.88 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $31.04 billion. Valero Energy had a net margin of 2.74% and a return on equity of 13.07%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was down 14.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $7.49 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts predict that Valero Energy Co. will post 8.86 earnings per share 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 issued a dividend of $1.07 per share. This represents a $4.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.44%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, November 20th. Valero Energy's payout ratio is currently 38.39%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have issued reports on VLO. Citigroup decreased their target price on Valero Energy from $192.00 to $176.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Piper Sandler downgraded shares of Valero Energy from an "overweight" rating to a "neutral" rating and dropped their target price for the stock from $169.00 to $123.00 in a report on Friday, September 20th. Bank of America assumed coverage on shares of Valero Energy in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $150.00 price target on the stock. TD Cowen lowered 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 report on Friday, October 25th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $165.00 to $160.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, December 9th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $155.07.

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.