Pinion Investment Advisors LLC Sells 248 Shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Pinion Investment Advisors LLC cut its holdings in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 7.3% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 3,138 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 248 shares during the quarter. Pinion Investment Advisors LLC’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $385,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. New Wave Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Valero Energy during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Peterson Financial Group Inc. purchased a new stake in Valero Energy during the third quarter worth $28,000. Tobam bought a new stake in Valero Energy during the 4th quarter valued at $30,000. True Wealth Design LLC increased its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 196.8% in the 3rd quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 276 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $37,000 after acquiring an additional 183 shares during the period. Finally, Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. bought a new position in shares of Valero Energy in the 3rd quarter worth $38,000. 78.69% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Valero Energy Trading Down 1.8 %

NYSE VLO opened at $128.37 on Tuesday. The company has a fifty day moving average of $132.25 and a 200 day moving average of $134.90. The company has a market capitalization of $40.64 billion, a PE ratio of 15.14, a P/E/G ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 1.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a current ratio of 1.57 and a quick ratio of 1.11. Valero Energy Co. has a 1 year low of $116.84 and a 1 year high of $184.79.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The oil and gas company reported $0.64 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.14 by $0.50. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 9.58% and a net margin of 2.13%. Research analysts forecast that Valero Energy Co. will post 7.92 earnings per share for the current year.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 3rd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, January 30th were paid a dividend of $1.13 per share. This is a boost from Valero Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.07. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, January 30th. This represents a $4.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.52%. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 53.30%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have issued reports on VLO. Barclays cut their target price on Valero Energy from $146.00 to $140.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, November 11th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $160.00 to $159.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Mizuho lowered their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $165.00 to $158.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Piper Sandler raised Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 10th. Finally, Tudor Pickering raised Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $154.46.

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.