Wealthspire Advisors LLC Sells 1,459 Shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Wealthspire Advisors LLC lessened its position in shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 13.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 9,753 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 1,459 shares during the period. Wealthspire Advisors LLC’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $1,196,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have issued reports on VLO shares. Barclays decreased their target price on Valero Energy from $146.00 to $140.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, November 11th. Piper Sandler raised Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 10th. Mizuho dropped their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $165.00 to $158.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Tudor Pickering raised Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $160.00 to $159.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 31st. 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 stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $154.46.

Valero Energy Price Performance

VLO opened at $135.10 on Tuesday. Valero Energy Co. has a 1 year low of $116.84 and a 1 year high of $184.79. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a current ratio of 1.57 and a quick ratio of 1.11. The company has a market capitalization of $42.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.93, a P/E/G ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 1.42. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $131.26 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $135.57.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last released its 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 return on equity of 9.58% and a net margin of 2.13%. As a group, analysts anticipate that Valero Energy Co. will post 7.92 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. Investors of record on Thursday, January 30th will be issued a $1.13 dividend. This represents a $4.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.35%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, January 30th. This is a boost from Valero Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.07. Valero Energy’s payout ratio is 53.30%.

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.