First National Trust Co Trims Holdings in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

First National Trust Co lowered its holdings in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 3.3% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 79,044 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 2,705 shares during the quarter. First National Trust Co’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $12,391,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. EdgeRock Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of Valero Energy during the second quarter valued at about $27,000. Lynx Investment Advisory purchased a new position in shares of Valero Energy during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $29,000. Summit Securities Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Valero Energy during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $31,000. Rise Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Valero Energy in the 1st quarter worth approximately $33,000. Finally, Pathway Financial Advisers LLC bought a new stake in shares of Valero Energy during the first quarter valued at approximately $33,000. 78.69% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have commented on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on Valero Energy from $178.00 to $172.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, July 2nd. Wolfe Research assumed coverage on shares of Valero Energy in a research report on Thursday, July 18th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $177.00 price target for the company. Mizuho upgraded shares of Valero Energy from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and upped their price objective for the stock from $165.00 to $175.00 in a report on Wednesday, July 17th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $165.00 to $172.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday. Finally, Argus downgraded Valero Energy from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 16th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $174.50.

Valero Energy Stock Down 3.7 %

VLO stock opened at $141.37 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $46.23 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.00, a P/E/G ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 1.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a current ratio of 1.48 and a quick ratio of 1.04. Valero Energy Co. has a 1-year low of $119.88 and a 1-year high of $184.79. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $149.89 and a 200-day moving average price of $155.76.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, July 25th. The oil and gas company reported $2.71 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.60 by $0.11. The business had revenue of $34.49 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $32.97 billion. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 21.01% and a net margin of 4.25%. Valero Energy’s revenue was down .1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $5.40 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that Valero Energy Co. will post 12.86 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 3rd. Investors of record on Thursday, August 1st were issued a $1.07 dividend. This represents a $4.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.03%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, August 1st. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 21.20%.

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.