Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) Shares Sold by Financial Management Professionals Inc.

Financial Management Professionals Inc. reduced its position in shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 12.1% during the first quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 2,374 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 328 shares during the quarter. Financial Management Professionals Inc.’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $405,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in VLO. BKM Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Valero Energy during the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Rise Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Valero Energy during the first quarter worth $33,000. Wetzel Investment Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Valero Energy during the fourth quarter worth $36,000. FSC Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Valero Energy during the fourth quarter worth $38,000. Finally, McIlrath & Eck LLC lifted its position in shares of Valero Energy by 40.3% during the third quarter. McIlrath & Eck LLC now owns 303 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $43,000 after purchasing an additional 87 shares in the last quarter. 78.69% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at Valero Energy

In other Valero Energy news, Director Kimberly S. Greene sold 720 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $158.12, for a total value of $113,846.40. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 13,314 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,105,209.68. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.04% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Valero Energy Stock Performance

Shares of VLO opened at $156.77 on Friday. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $157.35 and a 200 day moving average price of $150.09. The firm has a market capitalization of $51.26 billion, a PE ratio of 7.76, a P/E/G ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 1.47. The company has a quick ratio of 1.10, a current ratio of 1.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. Valero Energy Co. has a 52-week low of $112.16 and a 52-week high of $184.79.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The oil and gas company reported $3.82 earnings per share (EPS) 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 was down 12.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $8.27 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Valero Energy Co. will post 16.09 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 28th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 30th were issued a $1.07 dividend. This represents a $4.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.73%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, May 30th. Valero Energy’s payout ratio is 21.20%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently issued reports on VLO shares. Piper Sandler cut their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $187.00 to $169.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, June 14th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price 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. UBS Group increased their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $167.00 to $197.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 26th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $177.00 to $178.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, April 1st. Finally, TD Cowen dropped their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $190.00 to $185.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 29th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Valero Energy presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $172.00.

About Valero Energy

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.