Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) Stake Lowered by Phoenix Financial Ltd.

Phoenix Financial Ltd. trimmed its stake in shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO - Free Report) by 10.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 29,982 shares of the oil and gas company's stock after selling 3,444 shares during the period. Phoenix Financial Ltd.'s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $3,675,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. boosted its position in Valero Energy by 0.4% during the fourth quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. now owns 123,356 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $14,751,000 after purchasing an additional 455 shares in the last quarter. Kieckhefer Group LLC acquired a new stake in Valero Energy in the 4th quarter valued at about $1,226,000. Hudson Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in Valero Energy by 6.5% during the 4th quarter. Hudson Capital Management LLC now owns 31,792 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $3,897,000 after acquiring an additional 1,937 shares in the last quarter. Miracle Mile Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Valero Energy during the fourth quarter worth about $274,000. Finally, Patten Group Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Valero Energy in the fourth quarter valued at about $277,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.69% of the company's stock.

Valero Energy Stock Down 2.5 %

VLO traded down $2.79 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $107.54. The company had a trading volume of 3,071,207 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,979,767. Valero Energy Co. has a 1-year low of $99.00 and a 1-year high of $174.94. 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 company has a market cap of $33.87 billion, a PE ratio of 12.68, a P/E/G ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 1.17. The business has a 50-day moving average of $127.39 and a 200-day moving average of $131.52.

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Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The oil and gas company reported $0.64 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.14 by $0.50. Valero Energy had a net margin of 2.13% and a return on equity of 9.58%. As a group, analysts forecast that Valero Energy Co. will post 7.92 earnings per share for the current year.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 3rd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, January 30th were issued a dividend of $1.13 per share. This represents a $4.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.20%. This is a boost from Valero Energy's previous quarterly dividend of $1.07. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, January 30th. Valero Energy's dividend payout ratio is 53.30%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

VLO has been the subject of several recent research reports. Tudor Pickering raised Valero Energy from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $160.00 to $159.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 31st. Raymond James cut their target price on Valero Energy from $165.00 to $155.00 and set a "strong-buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. Piper Sandler lowered their price target on Valero Energy from $149.00 to $144.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, March 7th. Finally, Scotiabank cut their price objective on Valero Energy from $156.00 to $136.00 and set a "sector outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Friday. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $152.46.

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.