Guinness Asset Management LTD Cuts Holdings in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Guinness Asset Management LTD cut its position in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO - Free Report) by 13.1% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 94,227 shares of the oil and gas company's stock after selling 14,205 shares during the period. Guinness Asset Management LTD's holdings in Valero Energy were worth $11,484,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. UMB Bank n.a. grew its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 2.3% during the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 11,473 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $1,406,000 after purchasing an additional 255 shares during the period. Access Financial Services Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 1.7% in the fourth quarter. Access Financial Services Inc. now owns 10,202 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $1,251,000 after acquiring an additional 168 shares during the last quarter. Diversify Advisory Services LLC grew its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 26.5% during the fourth quarter. Diversify Advisory Services LLC now owns 6,393 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $813,000 after buying an additional 1,338 shares in the last quarter. Brady Martz Wealth Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in Valero Energy during the 4th quarter valued at about $703,000. Finally, Ballast Inc. grew its position in shares of Valero Energy by 5.1% in the fourth quarter. Ballast Inc. now owns 6,236 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $764,000 after purchasing an additional 302 shares in the last quarter. 78.69% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

VLO has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Mizuho reduced their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $165.00 to $158.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Citigroup dropped their target price on Valero Energy from $192.00 to $176.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, October 25th. BMO Capital Markets reduced their price objective on Valero Energy from $175.00 to $165.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, October 4th. Barclays lowered their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $146.00 to $140.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Monday, November 11th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on Valero Energy from $165.00 to $160.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, December 9th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $154.57.

Valero Energy Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:VLO traded up $1.84 on Monday, reaching $141.21. The company's stock had a trading volume of 2,531,248 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,560,424. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a current ratio of 1.57 and a quick ratio of 1.11. 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 is $131.25 and its two-hundred day moving average is $138.20. The stock has a market capitalization of $44.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.66, a PEG ratio of 2.43 and a beta of 1.42.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The oil and gas company reported $1.14 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.98 by $0.16. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 13.07% and a net margin of 2.74%. The company had revenue of $32.88 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $31.04 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $7.49 EPS. The company's revenue was down 14.4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Valero Energy Co. will post 7.96 EPS for the current year.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 3rd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, January 30th will be given a dividend of $1.13 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, January 30th. This represents a $4.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.20%. This is an increase from Valero Energy's previous quarterly dividend of $1.07. Valero Energy's dividend payout ratio 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.