Farmers & Merchants Trust Co of Chambersburg PA Sells 3,361 Shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Farmers & Merchants Trust Co of Chambersburg PA cut its holdings in shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 30.4% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 7,684 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 3,361 shares during the period. Farmers & Merchants Trust Co of Chambersburg PA’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $942,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Quad Cities Investment Group LLC increased its position in 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 valued at $655,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares during the period. Providence Wealth Advisors LLC increased 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 valued at $1,169,000 after buying an additional 75 shares during the period. New Century Financial Group LLC raised its stake 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 buying an additional 81 shares in the last quarter. Segment Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in Valero Energy by 1.7% in the fourth 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Opal Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Valero Energy by 4.7% in the third quarter. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,834 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $248,000 after buying an additional 82 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on VLO shares. Bank of America began coverage on Valero Energy in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $150.00 target price for the company. Mizuho decreased their price objective on 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 upgraded shares of Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 10th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased 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 note on Friday, January 31st. Finally, 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. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Valero Energy currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $154.46.

Valero Energy Price Performance

Shares of VLO opened at $131.03 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $41.48 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.45, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 1.42. The company has a quick ratio of 1.11, a current ratio of 1.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $130.51 and a 200 day moving average of $136.71. Valero Energy Co. has a twelve month low of $116.84 and a twelve month high of $184.79.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The oil and gas company reported $0.64 EPS 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 research analysts anticipate that Valero Energy Co. will post 7.86 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 3rd. Investors of record on Thursday, January 30th will be issued a $1.13 dividend. This represents a $4.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.45%. This is an increase from Valero Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.07. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, January 30th. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 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.