Diversified Trust Co Trims Holdings in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Diversified Trust Co decreased its stake in shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 0.5% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 26,047 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 125 shares during the period. Diversified Trust Co’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $3,193,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in VLO. Private Advisor Group LLC grew its stake in Valero Energy by 3.4% during the second quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 46,220 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $7,245,000 after acquiring an additional 1,520 shares in the last quarter. Caprock Group LLC grew its position in shares of Valero Energy by 522.8% during the 2nd quarter. Caprock Group LLC now owns 11,210 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $1,757,000 after purchasing an additional 9,410 shares in the last quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC increased its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 5.8% in the second quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC now owns 2,213 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $347,000 after purchasing an additional 122 shares during the period. Choreo LLC raised its position in shares of Valero Energy by 120.9% in the second quarter. Choreo LLC now owns 12,625 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $1,994,000 after buying an additional 6,911 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Hutchinson Capital Management CA boosted its stake in Valero Energy by 0.4% during the second quarter. Hutchinson Capital Management CA now owns 58,567 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $9,181,000 after buying an additional 235 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have weighed in on the company. Scotiabank lowered their price target on Valero Energy from $173.00 to $141.00 and set a “sector outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, October 10th. BMO Capital Markets dropped their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $175.00 to $165.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, October 4th. Barclays decreased their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $146.00 to $140.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, November 11th. Bank of America initiated coverage on shares of Valero Energy in a report on Thursday, October 17th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $150.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on Valero Energy from $165.00 to $160.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, December 9th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Valero Energy presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $155.07.

Valero Energy Price Performance

Shares of Valero Energy stock opened at $123.94 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a current ratio of 1.57 and a quick ratio of 1.11. Valero Energy Co. has a one year low of $116.84 and a one year high of $184.79. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $131.17 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $139.46. The stock has a market capitalization of $39.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.12, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.43 and a beta of 1.42.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The oil and gas company reported $1.14 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.98 by $0.16. The company had revenue of $32.88 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $31.04 billion. Valero Energy had a net margin of 2.74% and a return on equity of 13.07%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 14.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $7.49 earnings per share. Analysts forecast that Valero Energy Co. will post 8.86 EPS for the current year.

Valero Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 20th. Investors of record on Wednesday, November 20th were paid a $1.07 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, November 20th. This represents a $4.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.45%. Valero Energy’s payout ratio is presently 38.39%.

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.