Kentucky Retirement Systems Sells 303 Shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Kentucky Retirement Systems lessened its holdings in shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 1.4% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 22,016 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 303 shares during the period. Kentucky Retirement Systems’ holdings in Valero Energy were worth $2,699,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Providence Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Valero Energy by 0.9% in the 3rd quarter. Providence Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 8,784 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $1,169,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares during the last quarter. Segment Wealth Management LLC raised its position in shares of Valero Energy by 1.7% in the 4th quarter. Segment Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,947 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $606,000 after purchasing an additional 81 shares during the last quarter. Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators raised its position in shares of Valero Energy by 6.4% in the 3rd quarter. Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators now owns 1,420 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $192,000 after purchasing an additional 85 shares during the last quarter. Americana Partners LLC raised its position in shares of Valero Energy by 5.0% in the 3rd quarter. Americana Partners LLC now owns 1,883 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $254,000 after purchasing an additional 89 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Patrick M Sweeney & Associates Inc. raised its position in shares of Valero Energy by 2.0% in the 4th quarter. Patrick M Sweeney & Associates Inc. now owns 4,687 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $575,000 after purchasing an additional 90 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Piper Sandler raised Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 10th. Mizuho lowered their price target on Valero Energy from $165.00 to $158.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Barclays decreased their target price on Valero Energy from $146.00 to $140.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, November 11th. Tudor Pickering raised Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on Valero Energy from $160.00 to $159.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 31st. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $154.46.

Valero Energy Trading Down 3.2 %

Valero Energy stock opened at $134.67 on Friday. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $131.06 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $135.78. The company has a market cap of $42.63 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.88, a P/E/G ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 1.42. Valero Energy Co. has a 52-week low of $116.84 and a 52-week high of $184.79. The company has a quick ratio of 1.11, a current ratio of 1.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The oil and gas company reported $0.64 earnings per share (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%. Analysts predict that Valero Energy Co. will post 7.92 EPS for the current year.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 3rd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, January 30th will be paid a dividend of $1.13 per share. This is an increase from Valero Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.07. This represents a $4.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.36%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, January 30th. Valero Energy’s payout ratio is currently 53.30%.

Valero Energy 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.