Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) Shares Sold by Bank of New York Mellon Corp

Bank of New York Mellon Corp trimmed its stake in shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 11.9% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 3,037,991 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 409,178 shares during the quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $372,427,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in VLO. Providence Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Valero Energy by 0.9% during the third 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 stake in Valero Energy by 1.7% during the fourth quarter. Segment Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,947 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $606,000 after buying an additional 81 shares in the last quarter. Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators lifted its holdings in Valero Energy by 6.4% during the 3rd quarter. Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators now owns 1,420 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $192,000 after buying an additional 85 shares during the last quarter. Americana Partners LLC grew 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 acquiring an additional 89 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Patrick M Sweeney & Associates Inc. increased its holdings 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 valued at $575,000 after acquiring an additional 90 shares during the last quarter. 78.69% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Valero Energy Stock Down 2.7 %

VLO opened at $130.11 on Thursday. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $131.61 and its 200 day moving average price is $135.41. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a current ratio of 1.57 and a quick ratio of 1.11. The stock has a market cap of $41.19 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.34, a P/E/G ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 1.42. Valero Energy Co. has a 12 month low of $116.84 and a 12 month high of $184.79.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last issued its quarterly earnings results 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, research analysts predict that Valero Energy Co. will post 7.92 earnings per share for the current year.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 3rd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, January 30th will be paid a $1.13 dividend. This is a positive change 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 3.47%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, January 30th. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 53.30%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on VLO shares. Mizuho reduced their price objective 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. Tudor Pickering upgraded shares of Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Piper Sandler raised shares of Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 10th. Barclays dropped their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $146.00 to $140.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, November 11th. 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 note on Friday, January 31st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Valero Energy currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $154.46.

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.