Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) Shares Sold by Guinness Asset Management LTD

Guinness Asset Management LTD decreased its position in shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 13.1% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 94,227 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 14,205 shares during the quarter. Guinness Asset Management LTD’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $11,484,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Quad Cities Investment Group LLC grew its position in Valero Energy by 1.6% in the 3rd quarter. Quad Cities Investment Group LLC now owns 4,851 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $655,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares during the last quarter. Providence Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Valero Energy by 0.9% during the third quarter. Providence Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 8,784 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $1,169,000 after buying an additional 75 shares during the period. New Century Financial Group LLC grew its holdings in Valero Energy by 5.0% in the 3rd quarter. New Century Financial Group LLC now owns 1,708 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $231,000 after buying an additional 81 shares in the last quarter. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in Valero Energy by 4.7% in the 3rd quarter. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,834 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $248,000 after acquiring an additional 82 shares during the period. Finally, Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators raised its stake in Valero Energy by 6.4% during the 3rd quarter. Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators now owns 1,420 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $192,000 after acquiring an additional 85 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Valero Energy Stock Performance

Shares of VLO stock opened at $141.21 on Monday. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $131.25 and its 200-day simple moving average is $138.34. The company has a market capitalization of $44.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.66, a P/E/G ratio of 2.43 and a beta of 1.42. The company has a current ratio of 1.57, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. Valero Energy Co. has a 1-year low of $116.84 and a 1-year high of $184.79.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The oil and gas company reported $1.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.98 by $0.16. Valero Energy had a net margin of 2.74% and a return on equity of 13.07%. The business had revenue of $32.88 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $31.04 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $7.49 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was down 14.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Valero Energy Co. will post 7.96 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 3rd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, January 30th will be issued a dividend of $1.13 per share. This is a boost from Valero Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.07. This represents a $4.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.20%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, January 30th. Valero Energy’s payout ratio is currently 38.39%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Citigroup decreased their price target on Valero Energy from $192.00 to $176.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Scotiabank decreased their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $173.00 to $141.00 and set a “sector outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, October 10th. Mizuho dropped their price objective on Valero Energy from $165.00 to $158.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Barclays lowered their target price on Valero Energy from $146.00 to $140.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, November 11th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $165.00 to $160.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, December 9th. One equities 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 given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $154.57.

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.