Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO) Shares Sold by Stratos Wealth Advisors LLC

Stratos Wealth Advisors LLC decreased its position in Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO - Free Report) by 47.0% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 5,058 shares of the oil and gas company's stock after selling 4,481 shares during the quarter. Stratos Wealth Advisors LLC's holdings in Valero Energy were worth $668,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in Valero Energy by 16.1% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 34,725,700 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $4,257,024,000 after purchasing an additional 4,805,133 shares during the period. Ameriprise Financial Inc. grew its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 5.7% in the fourth quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 7,938,335 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $973,119,000 after acquiring an additional 429,252 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 1.5% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 6,871,229 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $844,775,000 after acquiring an additional 100,248 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Valero Energy in the fourth quarter worth $669,400,000. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. grew its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 1.5% in the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 4,759,172 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $583,427,000 after acquiring an additional 71,587 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.69% of the company's stock.

Valero Energy Price Performance

Valero Energy stock traded down $2.07 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $152.74. The company had a trading volume of 1,570,453 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,075,984. Valero Energy Corporation has a 1 year low of $99.00 and a 1 year high of $167.78. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a current ratio of 1.56 and a quick ratio of 1.09. The company has a market capitalization of $47.84 billion, a P/E ratio of 53.97, a P/E/G ratio of 2.59 and a beta of 1.00. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $133.29 and its 200-day simple moving average is $128.93.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The oil and gas company reported $0.89 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.16 by ($0.27). Valero Energy had a net margin of 0.72% and a return on equity of 6.30%. The company had revenue of $28.76 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $28.54 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $3.82 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was down 4.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts predict that Valero Energy Corporation will post 7.92 EPS for the current year.

Valero Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, June 18th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, May 20th were paid a dividend of $1.13 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, May 20th. This represents a $4.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.96%. Valero Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 159.72%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have commented on VLO shares. The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded shares of Valero Energy from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $127.00 to $154.00 in a research note on Tuesday, May 13th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $151.00 to $168.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $152.00 to $147.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 28th. UBS Group boosted their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $150.00 to $164.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, Barclays boosted their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $140.00 to $141.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, May 12th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $153.56.

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.