Transcend Capital Advisors LLC Sells 218 Shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Transcend Capital Advisors LLC reduced its stake in shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 10.9% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 1,774 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 218 shares during the period. Transcend Capital Advisors LLC’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $217,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 0.5% during the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 10,287,269 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $1,389,090,000 after acquiring an additional 50,837 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 5.6% during the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 4,687,585 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $639,268,000 after acquiring an additional 247,630 shares during the last quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 13.6% during the 4th quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 4,072,188 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $499,210,000 after acquiring an additional 487,022 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 4,908.0% during the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 2,850,526 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $384,907,000 after acquiring an additional 2,793,607 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Montrusco Bolton Investments Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 6.3% during the 3rd quarter. Montrusco Bolton Investments Inc. now owns 2,533,434 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $342,090,000 after acquiring an additional 151,200 shares during the last quarter. 78.69% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Valero Energy Price Performance

VLO stock opened at $134.67 on Monday. Valero Energy Co. has a 12-month low of $116.84 and a 12-month high of $184.79. The company has a current ratio of 1.57, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $131.06 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $135.69. The stock has a market capitalization of $42.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.88, a PEG ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 1.42.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last announced its quarterly earnings results 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 net margin of 2.13% and a return on equity of 9.58%. As a group, equities analysts predict that Valero Energy Co. will post 7.92 earnings per share for the current year.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 3rd. Investors of record on Thursday, January 30th will be given a dividend of $1.13 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, January 30th. This represents a $4.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.36%. This is a boost from Valero Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.07. Valero Energy’s payout ratio is currently 53.30%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have weighed in on VLO shares. Mizuho lowered their price target 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. Barclays lowered their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $146.00 to $140.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, November 11th. Tudor Pickering raised shares of Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target 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. Finally, Piper Sandler raised shares of Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 10th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Valero Energy currently has a consensus 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.