Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) Shares Sold by Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc.

Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. trimmed its holdings in shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 4.2% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 4,219 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 183 shares during the quarter. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc.’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $517,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 1.8% during the 3rd quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 1,293,589 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $174,673,000 after acquiring an additional 22,571 shares in the last quarter. Kieckhefer Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Valero Energy during the fourth quarter worth about $1,226,000. Hudson Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Valero Energy by 6.5% in the fourth quarter. Hudson Capital Management LLC now owns 31,792 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $3,897,000 after buying an additional 1,937 shares during the period. Miracle Mile Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Valero Energy in the fourth quarter valued at about $274,000. Finally, Captrust Financial Advisors raised its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 7.5% during the 3rd quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 89,762 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $12,121,000 after buying an additional 6,278 shares during the period. 78.69% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have issued reports on VLO shares. 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 report on Monday, November 11th. Piper Sandler upgraded Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 10th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on Valero Energy from $160.00 to $159.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Citigroup dropped their price objective on Valero Energy from $192.00 to $176.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, October 25th. Finally, Mizuho reduced their target price on Valero Energy from $165.00 to $158.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Valero Energy has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $154.46.

Valero Energy Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:VLO opened at $133.05 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 firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $130.66 and a 200 day simple moving average of $137.20. Valero Energy Co. has a fifty-two week low of $116.84 and a fifty-two week high of $184.79. The company has a market cap of $42.12 billion, a PE ratio of 15.69, a P/E/G ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 1.42.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last announced 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%. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Valero Energy Co. will post 7.86 EPS for the current year.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

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

Valero Energy 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.