Atria Investments Inc Cuts Position in Valero Energy Corporation $VLO

Atria Investments Inc reduced its holdings in shares of Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO) by 16.4% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 24,347 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 4,785 shares during the quarter. Atria Investments Inc’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $4,145,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Highline Wealth Partners LLC boosted its position in Valero Energy by 70.2% during the 3rd quarter. Highline Wealth Partners LLC now owns 160 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 66 shares during the period. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates acquired a new position in shares of Valero Energy during the third quarter worth about $34,000. Cypress Capital Management LLC WY purchased a new stake in shares of Valero Energy in the third quarter worth about $34,000. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. grew its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 145.3% in the third quarter. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 211 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $36,000 after buying an additional 125 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Hantz Financial Services Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 1,277.8% during the 2nd quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 248 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 230 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Valero Energy

In other Valero Energy news, CFO Jason W. Fraser sold 9,933 shares of Valero Energy stock in a transaction on Friday, November 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $174.02, for a total value of $1,728,540.66. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 134,196 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $23,352,787.92. The trade was a 6.89% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. Company insiders own 0.04% of the company’s stock.

Valero Energy Price Performance

Shares of VLO stock opened at $200.16 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $179.42 and a two-hundred day moving average of $167.38. The firm has a market cap of $61.05 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.20, a P/E/G ratio of 1.09 and a beta of 0.77. Valero Energy Corporation has a 1-year low of $99.00 and a 1-year high of $206.77. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a current ratio of 1.60 and a quick ratio of 1.09.

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

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 9th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, February 5th will be given 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 payout ratio is 62.83%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have weighed in on VLO. Argus upgraded Valero Energy to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Citigroup upped their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $190.00 to $212.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, February 9th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $175.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 27th. Bank of America reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $195.00 price objective (down previously from $198.00) on shares of Valero Energy in a report on Thursday, December 11th. Finally, Raymond James Financial restated a “strong-buy” rating and set a $195.00 target price (up from $181.00) on shares of Valero Energy in a research note on Friday, October 24th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating and ten have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $187.67.

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.