Smith Graham & Co. Investment Advisors LP Trims Stake in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Smith Graham & Co. Investment Advisors LP cut its holdings in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 9.3% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 29,037 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 2,961 shares during the period. Smith Graham & Co. Investment Advisors LP’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $3,775,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. BKM Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Valero Energy in the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Live Oak Investment Partners acquired a new position in Valero Energy in the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Indiana Trust & Investment Management CO acquired a new position in Valero Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at $28,000. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Valero Energy during the 3rd quarter worth $28,000. Finally, Quarry LP increased its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 1,676.9% during the 1st quarter. Quarry LP now owns 231 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 218 shares during the last quarter. 78.69% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently commented on the company. UBS Group upped their price objective on Valero Energy from $167.00 to $197.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 26th. Barclays upped their price objective on Valero Energy from $149.00 to $179.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 3rd. Mizuho downgraded Valero Energy from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and upped their price objective for the stock from $150.00 to $173.00 in a report on Friday, March 22nd. Scotiabank increased their price target on Valero Energy from $138.00 to $165.00 and gave the company a “sector outperform” rating in a report on Thursday. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on Valero Energy from $177.00 to $178.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, April 1st. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $172.40.

Valero Energy Stock Performance

NYSE:VLO opened at $173.60 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a current ratio of 1.56 and a quick ratio of 1.11. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $155.96 and a two-hundred day moving average of $138.45. The stock has a market cap of $57.72 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.02, a PEG ratio of 1.71 and a beta of 1.54. Valero Energy Co. has a 1-year low of $104.18 and a 1-year high of $184.79.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 25th. The oil and gas company reported $3.55 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.95 by $0.60. The business had revenue of $35.41 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $34.76 billion. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 31.62% and a net margin of 6.10%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 15.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $8.45 earnings per share. On average, research analysts expect that Valero Energy Co. will post 17.25 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 4th. Investors of record on Thursday, February 1st were paid a $1.07 dividend. This represents a $4.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.47%. This is an increase from Valero Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.02. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, January 31st. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 17.31%.

Valero Energy Company 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.