Wedbush Securities Inc. Sells 4,269 Shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Wedbush Securities Inc. cut its position in shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO - Free Report) by 37.1% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 7,240 shares of the oil and gas company's stock after selling 4,269 shares during the period. Wedbush Securities Inc.'s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $887,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of VLO. New Wave Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Valero Energy in the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Tobam bought a new stake in Valero Energy in the fourth quarter valued at about $30,000. Golden State Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Valero Energy in the fourth quarter worth about $38,000. OFI Invest Asset Management bought a new position in Valero Energy during the fourth quarter worth about $37,000. Finally, Creative Capital Management Investments LLC boosted its holdings in Valero Energy by 122.0% during the fourth quarter. Creative Capital Management Investments LLC now owns 333 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $41,000 after purchasing an additional 183 shares in the last quarter. 78.69% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. 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. Tudor Pickering raised Valero Energy from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Scotiabank reduced their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $156.00 to $136.00 and set a "sector outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday. Raymond James dropped their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $165.00 to $155.00 and set a "strong-buy" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, Piper Sandler reduced their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $149.00 to $144.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, March 7th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $152.46.

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Valero Energy Trading Up 1.4 %

VLO stock traded up $1.58 during trading on Friday, hitting $110.59. The company had a trading volume of 3,775,376 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,976,695. The stock has a market cap of $34.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.04, a PEG ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 1.17. 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 firm has a 50-day moving average price of $127.99 and a 200-day moving average price of $131.73. Valero Energy Co. has a 12 month low of $99.00 and a 12 month high of $178.39.

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 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%. As a group, analysts predict 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. Stockholders of record on Thursday, January 30th were paid a $1.13 dividend. This represents a $4.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.09%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, January 30th. This is a positive change from Valero Energy's previous quarterly dividend of $1.07. Valero Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 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.