Vanguard Capital Wealth Advisors Lowers Position in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Vanguard Capital Wealth Advisors decreased its position in shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 16.1% during the first quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 3,608 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 690 shares during the period. Vanguard Capital Wealth Advisors’ holdings in Valero Energy were worth $616,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Rise Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Valero Energy in the first quarter worth about $33,000. BKM Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Valero Energy in the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Wetzel Investment Advisors Inc. bought a new position in Valero Energy during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $36,000. FSC Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Valero Energy in the fourth quarter worth $38,000. Finally, McIlrath & Eck LLC grew its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 40.3% in the third quarter. McIlrath & Eck LLC now owns 303 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $43,000 after acquiring an additional 87 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Valero Energy Price Performance

Shares of Valero Energy stock traded up $0.03 during trading on Friday, reaching $154.07. 278,678 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,118,560. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a current ratio of 1.59 and a quick ratio of 1.10. Valero Energy Co. has a 52-week low of $112.16 and a 52-week high of $184.79. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $157.66 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $149.83. The company has a market capitalization of $50.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.63, a P/E/G ratio of 1.53 and a beta of 1.47.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The oil and gas company reported $3.82 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.18 by $0.64. The firm had revenue of $31.76 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $32.02 billion. Valero Energy had a net margin of 5.01% and a return on equity of 24.82%. Valero Energy’s revenue for the quarter was down 12.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $8.27 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts expect that Valero Energy Co. will post 16.75 EPS for the current year.

Valero Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 28th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 30th will be given a dividend of $1.07 per share. This represents a $4.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.78%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 30th. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 21.20%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

VLO has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Piper Sandler lowered their price target on Valero Energy from $187.00 to $169.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, June 14th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $184.00 to $179.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, June 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on Valero Energy from $177.00 to $178.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, April 1st. Barclays lowered their price target on Valero Energy from $179.00 to $173.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 30th. Finally, Mizuho reduced their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $176.00 to $171.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, June 20th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Valero Energy presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $172.00.

Insider Activity at Valero Energy

In other news, Director Kimberly S. Greene sold 720 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $158.12, for a total value of $113,846.40. Following the sale, the director now owns 13,314 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,105,209.68. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.04% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.