Cypress Capital Group Sells 2,854 Shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Cypress Capital Group lowered its holdings in shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO - Free Report) by 12.3% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 20,317 shares of the oil and gas company's stock after selling 2,854 shares during the period. Cypress Capital Group's holdings in Valero Energy were worth $2,491,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of VLO. New Wave Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Valero Energy during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Peterson Financial Group Inc. bought a new position in Valero Energy during the third quarter worth $28,000. Tobam acquired a new position in shares of Valero Energy in the fourth quarter valued at $30,000. True Wealth Design LLC raised its position in shares of Valero Energy by 196.8% in the third quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 276 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $37,000 after purchasing an additional 183 shares during the period. Finally, Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Valero Energy during the 3rd quarter worth about $38,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.69% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

VLO has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Piper Sandler raised shares of Valero Energy from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Friday, January 10th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price 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. Barclays decreased their price objective on Valero Energy from $146.00 to $140.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, November 11th. Finally, Mizuho dropped their target price on Valero Energy from $165.00 to $158.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $154.46.

Valero Energy Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:VLO traded up $4.07 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $125.83. The stock had a trading volume of 4,133,330 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,794,903. The company has a quick ratio of 1.11, a current ratio of 1.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. The company has a market capitalization of $39.84 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.84, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 1.42. The company's 50-day moving average price is $132.49 and its 200-day moving average price is $134.66. Valero Energy Co. has a fifty-two week low of $116.84 and a fifty-two week high of $184.79.

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

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 3rd. Investors of record on Thursday, January 30th were paid a $1.13 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, January 30th. This is a positive change from Valero Energy's previous quarterly dividend of $1.07. This represents a $4.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.59%. Valero Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 53.30%.

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.