Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) Shares Sold by Access Financial Services Inc.

Access Financial Services Inc. lowered its position in shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 4.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 12,858 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 565 shares during the quarter. Valero Energy makes up about 0.9% of Access Financial Services Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 24th largest holding. Access Financial Services Inc.’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $1,672,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in VLO. Morgan Stanley increased its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 4.1% in the fourth quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 10,065,228 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $1,276,875,000 after purchasing an additional 395,771 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 8.3% in the first quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 7,635,050 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $775,264,000 after purchasing an additional 587,056 shares during the last quarter. Nuveen Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 7.6% in the second quarter. Nuveen Asset Management LLC now owns 6,128,301 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $718,850,000 after purchasing an additional 434,057 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Valero Energy in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $534,892,000. Finally, Northern Trust Corp increased its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 3.2% in the third quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 3,899,875 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $552,651,000 after purchasing an additional 121,057 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Valero Energy Trading Up 1.7 %

NYSE:VLO opened at $170.69 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $56.75 billion, a PE ratio of 6.90, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.73 and a beta of 1.53. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $145.77 and a 200 day moving average price of $135.75. Valero Energy Co. has a 12-month low of $104.18 and a 12-month high of $172.46. The company has a current ratio of 1.56, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last released its earnings results on Thursday, January 25th. The oil and gas company reported $3.55 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.95 by $0.60. The firm had revenue of $35.41 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $34.76 billion. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 31.62% and a net margin of 6.10%. Valero Energy’s revenue was down 15.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business posted $8.45 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Valero Energy Co. will post 16.2 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 4th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, February 1st were paid a $1.07 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, January 31st. This is a boost from Valero Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.02. This represents a $4.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.51%. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 17.31%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on VLO shares. Bank of America raised Valero Energy from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their target price for the stock from $156.00 to $210.00 in a research note on Friday, March 15th. Citigroup started coverage on Valero Energy in a research note on Wednesday, January 24th. They set a “buy” rating for the company. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on Valero Energy from $138.00 to $171.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 20th. Raymond James raised their target price on Valero Energy from $154.00 to $155.00 and gave the stock a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 26th. Finally, Mizuho cut Valero Energy from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and raised their target price for the stock from $150.00 to $173.00 in a research note on Friday, March 22nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $165.69.

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.