ARS Wealth Advisors Group LLC Sells 100 Shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

ARS Wealth Advisors Group LLC decreased its holdings in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 3.3% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,900 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 100 shares during the period. ARS Wealth Advisors Group LLC’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $383,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in VLO. Ameriflex Group Inc. bought a new position in shares of Valero Energy in the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. Tobam bought a new position in shares of Valero Energy in the 4th quarter valued at about $30,000. OFI Invest Asset Management bought a new position in shares of Valero Energy in the 4th quarter valued at about $37,000. Golden State Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Valero Energy in the 4th quarter valued at about $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 valued at $41,000 after acquiring an additional 183 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently commented on the stock. Piper Sandler lowered their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $144.00 to $140.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, May 9th. Mizuho raised their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $158.00 to $166.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 13th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised shares of Valero Energy from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $127.00 to $154.00 in a research note on Tuesday, May 13th. Scotiabank decreased their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $156.00 to $136.00 and set a “sector outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, April 11th. Finally, UBS Group decreased 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. Two research 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’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $151.93.

Valero Energy Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:VLO opened at $128.35 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $40.20 billion, a PE ratio of 15.14, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 0.99. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $120.32 and its 200-day simple moving average is $127.75. Valero Energy Co. has a one year low of $99.00 and a one year high of $167.78. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a current ratio of 1.57.

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

Valero Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 18th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, May 20th will be given a dividend of $1.13 per share. This represents a $4.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.52%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, May 20th. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 159.72%.

Valero Energy 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.