First National Trust Co Sells 9,414 Shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

First National Trust Co lowered its position in shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 11.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 69,433 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 9,414 shares during the quarter. First National Trust Co’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $8,512,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new stake in Valero Energy during the third quarter worth about $50,000. Entropy Technologies LP acquired a new stake in Valero Energy in the third quarter valued at $949,000. GSA Capital Partners LLP bought a new position in shares of Valero Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at about $1,176,000. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 5.7% during the 3rd quarter. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC now owns 5,585 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $754,000 after purchasing an additional 301 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Simmons Bank raised its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 4.7% in the 3rd quarter. Simmons Bank now owns 4,806 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $649,000 after purchasing an additional 214 shares during the period. 78.69% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Valero Energy Stock Performance

NYSE:VLO opened at $125.79 on Friday. 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 business’s 50-day moving average price is $133.02 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $133.94. The stock has a market cap of $39.62 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.83, a PEG ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 1.36. Valero Energy Co. has a twelve month low of $116.84 and a twelve month high of $184.79.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The oil and gas company reported $0.64 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 7.92 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 3rd. Investors of record on Thursday, January 30th were given a dividend of $1.13 per share. This represents a $4.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.59%. This is a positive change from Valero Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.07. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, January 30th. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 53.30%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the company. Mizuho lowered 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. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective 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. Tudor Pickering upgraded Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, Piper Sandler lowered their price objective on Valero Energy from $149.00 to $144.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, March 7th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Valero Energy has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $156.08.

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.