Stratos Wealth Advisors LLC Sells 4,481 Shares of Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO)

Stratos Wealth Advisors LLC lowered its position in Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO - Free Report) by 47.0% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 5,058 shares of the oil and gas company's stock after selling 4,481 shares during the period. Stratos Wealth Advisors LLC's holdings in Valero Energy were worth $668,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Wayfinding Financial LLC bought a new position in shares of Valero Energy in the first quarter worth about $26,000. Ameriflex Group Inc. purchased a new stake in Valero Energy during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Millstone Evans Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Valero Energy during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $44,000. Transce3nd LLC purchased a new position in shares of Valero Energy in the fourth quarter worth $58,000. Finally, Salomon & Ludwin LLC boosted its position in shares of Valero Energy by 952.4% during the first quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC now owns 442 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $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.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have issued reports on the stock. Raymond James Financial lifted their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $150.00 to $155.00 and gave the company a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Monday, June 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on Valero Energy from $152.00 to $147.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 28th. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on Valero Energy from $160.00 to $145.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 24th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised Valero Energy from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $127.00 to $154.00 in a research note on Tuesday, May 13th. Finally, Evercore ISI assumed coverage on Valero Energy in a research report on Wednesday, June 18th. They set an "in-line" rating and a $135.00 target price for the company. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Valero Energy currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $152.31.

Valero Energy Stock Up 0.3%

Shares of NYSE VLO opened at $149.11 on Thursday. Valero Energy Corporation has a 52-week low of $99.00 and a 52-week high of $167.78. The firm has a market capitalization of $46.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 52.69, a PEG ratio of 2.58 and a beta of 1.00. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $132.49 and a 200 day moving average price of $128.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a quick ratio of 1.09 and a current ratio of 1.56.

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

Valero Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, June 18th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, May 20th were issued a dividend of $1.13 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, May 20th. This represents a $4.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.03%. Valero Energy's dividend payout ratio is currently 159.72%.

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.

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