Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO) Shares Sold by Strategic Financial Concepts LLC

Strategic Financial Concepts LLC lowered its stake in Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO - Free Report) by 98.3% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,606 shares of the oil and gas company's stock after selling 93,214 shares during the period. Strategic Financial Concepts LLC's holdings in Valero Energy were worth $212,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Ameriflex Group Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Valero Energy in the fourth quarter worth $29,000. OFI Invest Asset Management bought a new stake in Valero Energy in the 4th quarter worth about $37,000. Millstone Evans Group LLC purchased a new position in Valero Energy in the 4th quarter worth about $44,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. bought a new position in Valero Energy during the 4th quarter valued at about $52,000. Finally, Salomon & Ludwin LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 952.4% during the 1st quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC now owns 442 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $58,000 after acquiring an additional 400 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.69% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

VLO has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. The Goldman Sachs Group raised shares of Valero Energy from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $127.00 to $154.00 in a research report on Tuesday, May 13th. Mizuho raised their target price on Valero Energy from $158.00 to $166.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 13th. UBS Group cut their price target on Valero Energy from $160.00 to $150.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 28th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $152.00 to $147.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 28th. Finally, Piper Sandler cut their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $144.00 to $140.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, May 9th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Valero Energy currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $150.88.

Valero Energy Trading Up 1.0%

VLO stock traded up $1.47 during trading on Friday, hitting $143.53. The company had a trading volume of 2,224,601 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,055,219. The firm has a market capitalization of $44.96 billion, a P/E ratio of 50.72, a PEG ratio of 2.50 and a beta of 1.00. The company has a quick ratio of 1.09, a current ratio of 1.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39. Valero Energy Corporation has a 52-week low of $99.00 and a 52-week high of $167.78. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $130.58 and a 200-day simple moving average of $128.11.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 24th. The oil and gas company reported $0.89 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.16 by ($0.27). Valero Energy had a return on equity of 6.30% and a net margin of 0.72%. The firm had revenue of $28.76 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $28.54 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $3.82 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was down 4.7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts forecast that Valero Energy Corporation will post 7.92 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, June 18th. Investors of record on Tuesday, May 20th were paid a dividend of $1.13 per share. This represents a $4.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.15%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, May 20th. Valero Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 159.72%.

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.