Empirical Finance LLC Sells 3,480 Shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Empirical Finance LLC lowered its position in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 17.8% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 16,063 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 3,480 shares during the period. Empirical Finance LLC’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $1,969,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in VLO. Quad Cities Investment Group LLC lifted its stake in Valero Energy by 1.6% in 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 in the last quarter. Providence Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in 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 valued at $1,169,000 after buying an additional 75 shares in the last quarter. New Century Financial Group LLC increased its position in Valero Energy by 5.0% in the third 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 last quarter. Segment Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings 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 buying an additional 81 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Opal Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in Valero Energy by 4.7% during the third quarter. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,834 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $248,000 after purchasing an additional 82 shares during the period. 78.69% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Valero Energy Trading Down 0.9 %

Shares of VLO stock opened at $133.05 on Monday. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $130.66 and its 200-day moving average price is $137.13. Valero Energy Co. has a twelve month low of $116.84 and a twelve month high of $184.79. The company has a current ratio of 1.57, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. The stock has a market cap of $42.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.69, a PEG ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 1.42.

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 for the quarter, topping 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, equities analysts predict that Valero Energy Co. will post 7.86 earnings per share for the current year.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 3rd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, January 30th will be given a dividend of $1.13 per share. This is a positive change from Valero Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.07. This represents a $4.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.40%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, January 30th. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 53.30%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on VLO shares. Citigroup reduced their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $192.00 to $176.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Bank of America assumed coverage on shares of Valero Energy in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $150.00 target price for the company. Mizuho decreased their price target 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. Barclays lowered their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $146.00 to $140.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, November 11th. Finally, Piper Sandler upgraded Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 10th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus 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.