Thomasville National Bank Buys 661 Shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Thomasville National Bank lifted its holdings in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 2.0% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 34,506 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after acquiring an additional 661 shares during the quarter. Thomasville National Bank’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $4,230,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the business. Main Street Financial Solutions LLC raised its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 5.7% during the 2nd quarter. Main Street Financial Solutions LLC now owns 1,356 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $213,000 after purchasing an additional 73 shares during the period. Quad Cities Investment Group LLC raised its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 1.6% during the 3rd quarter. Quad Cities Investment Group LLC now owns 4,851 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $655,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares during the period. Providence Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 0.9% during 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 period. New Century Financial Group LLC raised its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 5.0% during the 3rd quarter. New Century Financial Group LLC now owns 1,708 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $231,000 after purchasing an additional 81 shares during the period. Finally, Opal Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 4.7% during the 3rd quarter. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,834 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $248,000 after purchasing an additional 82 shares during the period. 78.69% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Valero Energy Trading Up 6.3 %

Shares of Valero Energy stock traded up $8.01 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $135.16. 2,480,560 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,339,412. 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 company has a market cap of $42.79 billion, a PE ratio of 12.12, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.43 and a beta of 1.42. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $130.99 and a 200-day moving average of $138.89. Valero Energy Co. has a 12 month low of $116.84 and a 12 month high of $184.79.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The oil and gas company reported $1.14 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.98 by $0.16. The company had revenue of $32.88 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $31.04 billion. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 13.07% and a net margin of 2.74%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 14.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $7.49 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts expect that Valero Energy Co. will post 8.86 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 20th. Investors of record on Wednesday, November 20th were issued a dividend of $1.07 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, November 20th. This represents a $4.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.17%. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 38.39%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

VLO has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. BMO Capital Markets lowered their target price on Valero Energy from $175.00 to $165.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, October 4th. Mizuho decreased their price target on Valero Energy from $165.00 to $158.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. TD Cowen cut their price objective on Valero Energy from $145.00 to $140.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, October 25th. Bank of America initiated coverage on Valero Energy in a report on Thursday, October 17th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $150.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Scotiabank cut their price objective on Valero Energy from $173.00 to $141.00 and set a “sector outperform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, October 10th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $154.57.

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.