Ables Iannone Moore & Associates Inc. Sells 110 Shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Ables Iannone Moore & Associates Inc. cut its holdings in shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 1.5% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 7,221 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 110 shares during the quarter. Ables Iannone Moore & Associates Inc.’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $885,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Private Advisor Group LLC increased its position in Valero Energy by 3.4% in the second quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 46,220 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $7,245,000 after buying an additional 1,520 shares during the last quarter. Candriam S.C.A. raised its stake in Valero Energy by 8.0% in the 2nd quarter. Candriam S.C.A. now owns 164,059 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $25,717,000 after acquiring an additional 12,147 shares during the period. Savant Capital LLC boosted its position in Valero Energy by 17.8% during the second quarter. Savant Capital LLC now owns 27,959 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $4,383,000 after purchasing an additional 4,217 shares during the period. Norden Group LLC increased its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 18.3% in the second quarter. Norden Group LLC now owns 3,132 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $491,000 after purchasing an additional 484 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Strategic Financial Concepts LLC raised its position in shares of Valero Energy by 5,218.9% in the second quarter. Strategic Financial Concepts LLC now owns 148,717 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $23,313,000 after purchasing an additional 145,921 shares during the period. 78.69% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Valero Energy Price Performance

VLO traded down $2.28 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $121.98. The stock had a trading volume of 2,139,951 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,879,638. Valero Energy Co. has a 1 year low of $116.84 and a 1 year high of $184.79. The company has a market cap of $38.62 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.94, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.43 and a beta of 1.42. The business has a fifty day moving average of $131.46 and a 200 day moving average of $139.86. 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 released its earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The oil and gas company reported $1.14 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.98 by $0.16. The company had revenue of $32.88 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $31.04 billion. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 13.07% and a net margin of 2.74%. Valero Energy’s revenue for the quarter was down 14.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $7.49 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Valero Energy Co. will post 8.86 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 20th. Investors of record on Wednesday, November 20th were given a dividend of $1.07 per share. This represents a $4.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.51%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, November 20th. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 38.39%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on VLO shares. Bank of America began coverage on shares of Valero Energy in a report on Thursday, October 17th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $150.00 target price on the stock. Citigroup dropped their price objective on Valero Energy from $192.00 to $176.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, October 25th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on Valero Energy from $165.00 to $160.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, December 9th. Barclays lowered 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. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $172.00 to $151.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, October 2nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Valero Energy currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $155.07.

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.