Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) Shares Sold by Williams Jones Wealth Management LLC.

Williams Jones Wealth Management LLC. reduced its position in shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO - Free Report) by 31.4% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 8,934 shares of the oil and gas company's stock after selling 4,095 shares during the period. Williams Jones Wealth Management LLC.'s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $1,095,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in VLO. New Wave Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Valero Energy during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Tobam purchased a new position in Valero Energy during the fourth quarter valued at $30,000. OFI Invest Asset Management purchased a new position in shares of Valero Energy in the 4th quarter worth $37,000. Golden State Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Valero Energy in the 4th quarter worth $38,000. Finally, Creative Capital Management Investments LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 122.0% in the 4th quarter. Creative Capital Management Investments LLC now owns 333 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $41,000 after acquiring an additional 183 shares during the last quarter. 78.69% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Valero Energy Stock Down 0.1%

Shares of NYSE:VLO traded down $0.09 during trading on Friday, hitting $128.63. 2,052,954 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,034,109. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $121.20 and a 200-day moving average price of $128.59. Valero Energy Co. has a 52 week low of $99.00 and a 52 week high of $167.78. The company has a market cap of $40.29 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.17, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 0.98. The company has a current ratio of 1.57, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The oil and gas company reported $0.89 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.16 by ($0.27). The business had revenue of $28.76 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $28.54 billion. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 9.58% and a net margin of 2.13%. The firm's revenue was down 4.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $3.82 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts forecast that Valero Energy Co. will post 7.92 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 18th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, May 20th will be paid a $1.13 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, May 20th. This represents a $4.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.51%. Valero Energy's payout ratio is 159.72%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently commented on VLO. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $160.00 to $159.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 31st. Piper Sandler cut their price objective 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. UBS Group lowered their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $160.00 to $150.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 28th. Tudor Pickering upgraded shares of Valero Energy from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $160.00 to $145.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. Two 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. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $151.93.

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.