Bahl & Gaynor Inc. Sells 973 Shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Bahl & Gaynor Inc. lowered its position in shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 4.4% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 21,312 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 973 shares during the quarter. Bahl & Gaynor Inc.’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $2,613,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. New Wave Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Valero Energy in the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Peterson Financial Group Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Valero Energy in the third quarter valued at about $28,000. Tobam bought a new position in Valero Energy during the fourth quarter worth about $30,000. True Wealth Design LLC increased its position in Valero Energy by 196.8% during the third quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 276 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $37,000 after acquiring an additional 183 shares during the period. Finally, Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in Valero Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at about $38,000. Institutional investors own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Valero Energy Price Performance

VLO stock opened at $127.69 on Wednesday. Valero Energy Co. has a 1 year low of $116.84 and a 1 year high of $184.79. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a current ratio of 1.57 and a quick ratio of 1.11. The stock has a market cap of $40.42 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.06, a P/E/G ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 1.42. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $132.43 and a 200 day simple moving average of $134.75.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The oil and gas company reported $0.64 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.14 by $0.50. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 9.58% and a net margin of 2.13%. Research analysts anticipate that Valero Energy Co. will post 7.92 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 3rd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, January 30th were paid a $1.13 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, January 30th. This represents a $4.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.54%. This is an increase from Valero Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.07. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 53.30%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Piper Sandler raised shares of Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 10th. Tudor Pickering upgraded Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Barclays cut their target price on Valero Energy from $146.00 to $140.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, November 11th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on Valero Energy from $160.00 to $159.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Mizuho cut their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $165.00 to $158.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $154.46.

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.