Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) Stock Price Down 4.4% - Time to Sell?

Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO - Get Free Report) fell 4.4% on Wednesday . The stock traded as low as $122.01 and last traded at $121.96. 1,136,370 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 59% from the average session volume of 2,770,970 shares. The stock had previously closed at $127.61.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on VLO. Tudor Pickering raised Valero Energy from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective 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. Barclays lowered their target price on Valero Energy from $146.00 to $140.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, November 11th. Piper Sandler upgraded shares of Valero Energy from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Friday, January 10th. Finally, Mizuho lowered their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $165.00 to $158.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Valero Energy currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $154.46.

Valero Energy Trading Down 5.1 %

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 capitalization of $38.36 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.30, a PEG ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 1.42. The business's 50-day moving average price is $132.43 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $134.75.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The oil and gas company reported $0.64 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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, analysts forecast that Valero Energy Co. will post 7.92 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced 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 was Thursday, January 30th. This is a positive change from Valero Energy's previous quarterly dividend of $1.07. This represents a $4.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.73%. Valero Energy's dividend payout ratio is presently 53.30%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Valero Energy

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of VLO. Gladstone Institutional Advisory LLC raised its holdings in Valero Energy by 27.0% during the third quarter. Gladstone Institutional Advisory LLC now owns 1,859 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $251,000 after acquiring an additional 395 shares in the last quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in Valero Energy during the third quarter worth $38,000. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. lifted its stake in Valero Energy by 6.3% in the third quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. now owns 239,632 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $32,358,000 after acquiring an additional 14,143 shares during the last quarter. National Pension Service grew its position in shares of Valero Energy by 4.2% in the 3rd quarter. National Pension Service now owns 929,214 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $125,472,000 after acquiring an additional 37,160 shares during the period. Finally, Stoneridge Investment Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Valero Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at about $1,118,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.69% of the company's stock.

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.

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