Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) Holdings Trimmed by Cullinan Associates Inc.

Cullinan Associates Inc. lowered its position in shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 5.5% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 3,420 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 200 shares during the quarter. Cullinan Associates Inc.’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $419,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. New Wave Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in Valero Energy during the fourth quarter valued at about $25,000. Peterson Financial Group Inc. purchased a new stake in Valero Energy during the third quarter valued at about $28,000. Compagnie Lombard Odier SCmA purchased a new stake in Valero Energy during the third quarter valued at about $34,000. True Wealth Design LLC lifted its stake in Valero Energy by 196.8% during the third quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 276 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $37,000 after buying an additional 183 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in Valero Energy during the third quarter valued at about $38,000. Institutional investors own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Valero Energy Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE VLO opened at $142.95 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a current ratio of 1.57. The firm has a market cap of $45.26 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.86, a P/E/G ratio of 2.67 and a beta of 1.42. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $130.76 and its 200-day simple moving average is $137.35. Valero Energy Co. has a 52 week low of $116.84 and a 52 week high of $184.79.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The oil and gas company reported $0.64 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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, equities research analysts expect that Valero Energy Co. will post 8.29 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 3rd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, January 30th will be issued a dividend of $1.13 per share. This is a positive change from Valero Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.07. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, January 30th. This represents a $4.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.16%. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 53.30%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have commented on VLO. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective 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. Barclays lowered their target price on Valero Energy from $146.00 to $140.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, November 11th. Scotiabank lowered their target price on Valero Energy from $173.00 to $141.00 and set a “sector outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, October 10th. Citigroup lowered their target price on Valero Energy from $192.00 to $176.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Finally, TD Cowen lowered their target price on Valero Energy from $145.00 to $140.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, October 25th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Valero Energy currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $154.46.

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.