Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO) Shares Sold by U.S. Capital Wealth Advisors LLC

U.S. Capital Wealth Advisors LLC reduced its holdings in Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO - Free Report) by 17.0% in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 14,542 shares of the oil and gas company's stock after selling 2,983 shares during the period. U.S. Capital Wealth Advisors LLC's holdings in Valero Energy were worth $1,921,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Wayfinding Financial LLC purchased a new position in shares of Valero Energy in the 1st quarter worth $26,000. Ameriflex Group Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Valero Energy in the 4th quarter worth $29,000. OFI Invest Asset Management bought a new stake in shares of Valero Energy in the 4th quarter worth about $37,000. Millstone Evans Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Valero Energy in the 4th quarter worth about $44,000. Finally, SBI Securities Co. Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of Valero Energy in the 4th quarter worth about $52,000. 78.69% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $152.00 to $147.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 28th. Scotiabank lowered their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $156.00 to $136.00 and set a "sector outperform" rating for the company in a report on Friday, April 11th. Mizuho raised their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $158.00 to $166.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 13th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $151.00 to $168.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday. Finally, Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $160.00 to $145.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 24th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $153.56.

Valero Energy Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:VLO traded down $1.70 on Friday, reaching $153.11. 3,054,926 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,088,480. The company has a current ratio of 1.56, a quick ratio of 1.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39. Valero Energy Corporation has a 1-year low of $99.00 and a 1-year high of $167.78. The firm has a market cap of $47.96 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 54.10, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.67 and a beta of 1.00. The company has a 50-day moving average of $133.97 and a 200-day moving average of $129.17.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO - Get Free Report) last released 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 firm had revenue of $28.76 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $28.54 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $3.82 earnings per share. Valero Energy's revenue for the quarter was down 4.7% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts forecast that Valero Energy Corporation will post 7.92 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced 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. This represents a $4.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.95%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, May 20th. Valero Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) 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.