Whittier Trust Co. Reduces Holdings in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Whittier Trust Co. lowered its stake in shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 0.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 187,266 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 292 shares during the quarter. Whittier Trust Co.’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $22,956,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of VLO. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Valero Energy by 21.7% in the 3rd quarter. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC now owns 6,693 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $904,000 after acquiring an additional 1,192 shares in the last quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans grew its stake in Valero Energy by 126.4% in the third quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 46,649 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $6,299,000 after purchasing an additional 26,044 shares during the period. Quest Partners LLC bought a new position in Valero Energy in the third quarter worth $134,000. Prospera Financial Services Inc boosted its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 3.3% during the 3rd quarter. Prospera Financial Services Inc now owns 11,350 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $1,534,000 after buying an additional 363 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Valero Energy by 3.2% in the 3rd quarter. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 10,870 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $1,468,000 after buying an additional 340 shares during the period. 78.69% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on VLO. 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 research report on Friday, January 31st. Mizuho lowered their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $165.00 to $158.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Piper Sandler reduced their price objective on Valero Energy from $149.00 to $144.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, March 7th. Finally, Tudor Pickering upgraded Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $156.08.

Valero Energy Price Performance

VLO opened at $133.89 on Thursday. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $133.68 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $133.58. Valero Energy Co. has a 52-week low of $116.84 and a 52-week high of $184.79. The stock has a market capitalization of $42.17 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.79, a P/E/G ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 1.36. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a current ratio of 1.57.

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

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 3rd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, January 30th were issued a $1.13 dividend. This is an increase from Valero Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.07. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, January 30th. This represents a $4.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.38%. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 53.30%.

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.