First Financial Bankshares Inc Cuts Stock Position in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

First Financial Bankshares Inc lessened its stake in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO - Free Report) by 56.2% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,947 shares of the oil and gas company's stock after selling 3,783 shares during the quarter. First Financial Bankshares Inc's holdings in Valero Energy were worth $361,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in VLO. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 4,908.0% in the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 2,850,526 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $384,907,000 after buying an additional 2,793,607 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in Valero Energy in the 4th quarter valued at $132,469,000. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund raised its stake in Valero Energy by 900.2% in the 3rd quarter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund now owns 631,095 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $85,217,000 after acquiring an additional 568,000 shares during the period. Pacer Advisors Inc. raised its stake in Valero Energy by 18.8% in the 3rd quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 3,585,166 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $484,105,000 after acquiring an additional 567,059 shares during the period. Finally, Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Valero Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at $70,352,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.69% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

VLO has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Mizuho dropped their price target on Valero Energy from $165.00 to $158.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on Valero Energy from $160.00 to $159.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Tudor Pickering upgraded Valero Energy from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, Piper Sandler dropped their price target on Valero Energy from $149.00 to $144.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, March 7th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $156.08.

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Valero Energy Trading Down 2.5 %

Shares of VLO traded down $3.41 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $131.42. 6,736,251 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,765,665. Valero Energy Co. has a 52 week low of $116.84 and a 52 week high of $184.79. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $41.39 billion, a PE ratio of 15.50, a PEG ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 1.36. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $133.96 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $133.38.

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 for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.14 by $0.50. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 9.58% and a net margin of 2.13%. On average, analysts predict that Valero Energy Co. will post 7.92 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 3rd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, January 30th were issued a dividend of $1.13 per share. This is an increase from Valero Energy's previous quarterly dividend of $1.07. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, January 30th. This represents a $4.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.44%. Valero Energy's payout ratio is currently 53.30%.

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.