Smith Graham & Co. Investment Advisors LP Sells 2,961 Shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Smith Graham & Co. Investment Advisors LP decreased its position in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 9.3% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 29,037 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 2,961 shares during the quarter. Smith Graham & Co. Investment Advisors LP’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $3,775,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. BKM Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Valero Energy in the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Live Oak Investment Partners bought a new position in shares of Valero Energy during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Indiana Trust & Investment Management CO bought a new position in shares of Valero Energy during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Valero Energy during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Finally, Quarry LP increased its position 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 valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 218 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

VLO has been the topic of several analyst reports. Barclays boosted their target price on Valero Energy from $149.00 to $179.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 3rd. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on Valero Energy from $130.00 to $171.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a research report on Friday, March 22nd. TD Cowen boosted their target price on Valero Energy from $175.00 to $190.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, April 8th. Mizuho cut Valero Energy from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and boosted their price objective for the company from $150.00 to $173.00 in a report on Friday, March 22nd. Finally, Raymond James boosted their price objective on Valero Energy from $154.00 to $155.00 and gave the company a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 26th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Valero Energy currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $172.40.

Valero Energy Stock Down 1.9 %

Shares of VLO stock opened at $173.60 on Friday. Valero Energy Co. has a fifty-two week low of $104.18 and a fifty-two week high of $184.79. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a current ratio of 1.56. The firm has a market capitalization of $57.72 billion, a PE ratio of 7.02, a P/E/G ratio of 1.71 and a beta of 1.54. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $155.96 and its 200-day simple moving average is $138.45.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last issued its 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. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 31.62% and a net margin of 6.10%. The firm had revenue of $35.41 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $34.76 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $8.45 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was down 15.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts expect that Valero Energy Co. will post 17.25 earnings per share for the current year.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

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

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.