Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) Shares Sold by Oarsman Capital Inc.

Oarsman Capital Inc. lessened its holdings in shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 15.7% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 751 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 140 shares during the period. Oarsman Capital Inc.’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $92,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 16.1% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 34,725,700 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $4,257,024,000 after acquiring an additional 4,805,133 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its position in Valero Energy by 4.0% in the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 10,701,232 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $1,311,864,000 after purchasing an additional 413,963 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 1.5% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 6,871,229 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $844,775,000 after buying an additional 100,248 shares during the period. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Valero Energy during the fourth quarter worth about $669,400,000. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. increased its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 1.5% during the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 4,759,172 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $583,427,000 after buying an additional 71,587 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Valero Energy Price Performance

VLO stock opened at $104.64 on Friday. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $131.94 and a 200-day simple moving average of $132.95. The company has a market capitalization of $32.96 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.34, a PEG ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 1.36. Valero Energy Co. has a twelve month low of $102.60 and a twelve month high of $183.38. The company has a current ratio of 1.57, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The oil and gas company reported $0.64 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.14 by $0.50. Valero Energy had a net margin of 2.13% and a return on equity of 9.58%. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Valero Energy Co. will post 7.92 EPS for the current year.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 3rd. Investors of record on Thursday, January 30th were given a $1.13 dividend. This represents a $4.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.32%. The ex-dividend date was 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%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have commented on VLO shares. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $160.00 to $159.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 31st. Piper Sandler dropped their target price on Valero Energy from $149.00 to $144.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, March 7th. Mizuho cut their price target on Valero Energy from $165.00 to $158.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Finally, Tudor Pickering raised Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $152.67.

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.