First National Trust Co Sells 27,351 Shares of Valero Energy Corporation $VLO

First National Trust Co decreased its stake in Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO) by 42.9% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 36,415 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 27,351 shares during the quarter. First National Trust Co’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $6,200,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Navellier & Associates Inc. boosted its stake in Valero Energy by 1.0% during the 3rd quarter. Navellier & Associates Inc. now owns 18,164 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $3,093,000 after acquiring an additional 175 shares during the last quarter. Prospera Financial Services Inc raised its holdings in Valero Energy by 0.8% in the third quarter. Prospera Financial Services Inc now owns 16,215 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $2,764,000 after purchasing an additional 126 shares during the period. Profund Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Valero Energy by 0.6% during the third quarter. Profund Advisors LLC now owns 12,607 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $2,146,000 after purchasing an additional 69 shares in the last quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 4.1% in the 3rd quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. now owns 10,219 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $1,740,000 after buying an additional 405 shares during the period. Finally, Fielder Capital Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Valero Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at $216,000. Institutional investors own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, CFO Jason W. Fraser sold 9,933 shares of Valero Energy stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $174.02, for a total value of $1,728,540.66. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 134,196 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $23,352,787.92. The trade was a 6.89% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.37% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have weighed in on the company. Raymond James Financial reiterated a “strong-buy” rating and set a $195.00 target price (up from $181.00) on shares of Valero Energy in a report on Friday, October 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on Valero Energy from $197.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. UBS Group reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Valero Energy in a research report on Tuesday, January 6th. Wall Street Zen raised Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday. Finally, Mizuho reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $192.00 price target (up previously from $190.00) on shares of Valero Energy in a research note on Friday, December 12th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating and ten have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Valero Energy currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $187.67.

Valero Energy Trading Down 0.6%

NYSE VLO opened at $201.43 on Tuesday. Valero Energy Corporation has a 52 week low of $99.00 and a 52 week high of $204.14. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a quick ratio of 1.09 and a current ratio of 1.60. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $177.52 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $165.96. The stock has a market capitalization of $61.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.37, a PEG ratio of 1.09 and a beta of 0.77.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 29th. The oil and gas company reported $3.82 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.27 by $0.55. Valero Energy had a net margin of 1.91% and a return on equity of 12.34%. The company had revenue of $30.37 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $28.20 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.64 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was down 1.2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts anticipate that Valero Energy Corporation will post 7.92 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 9th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, February 5th will be issued a $1.20 dividend. This represents a $4.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, February 5th. This is a positive change from Valero Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.13. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio is 62.83%.

Valero Energy Company Profile

Valero Energy Corporation is a San Antonio, Texas–based integrated downstream energy company that manufactures and markets transportation fuels, petrochemical feedstocks and other industrial products. The company’s operations focus on refining crude oil into finished fuels such as gasoline, diesel and jet fuel, as well as producing asphalt and other refined product streams for commercial and industrial customers.

In addition to refining, Valero has significant operations in renewable fuels, including the production of ethanol and other biofuels, and it manages an extensive logistics network of pipelines, terminals, rail and marine assets to move feedstocks and finished products.