CX Institutional Increases Position in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

CX Institutional grew its holdings in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 8.9% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 8,628 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after acquiring an additional 702 shares during the quarter. CX Institutional’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $1,058,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Peterson Financial Group Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Valero Energy in the third quarter valued at about $28,000. Compagnie Lombard Odier SCmA purchased a new stake in shares of Valero Energy in the third quarter valued at about $34,000. True Wealth Design LLC raised its holdings 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 purchasing an additional 183 shares in the last quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in Valero Energy during the third quarter worth about $38,000. Finally, Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new position in Valero Energy during the third quarter worth about $50,000. 78.69% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently issued reports on VLO. 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 price target for the company. Piper Sandler raised shares of Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 10th. Mizuho lowered their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $165.00 to $158.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. BMO Capital Markets lowered their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $175.00 to $165.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, October 4th. Finally, Citigroup decreased their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $192.00 to $176.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, October 25th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Valero Energy has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $154.57.

Valero Energy Stock Performance

Valero Energy stock opened at $139.80 on Friday. Valero Energy Co. has a 12-month low of $116.84 and a 12-month high of $184.79. The company has a market capitalization of $44.26 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.54, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.81 and a beta of 1.42. 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 firm’s fifty day moving average price is $131.28 and its 200 day moving average price is $137.93.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 24th. The oil and gas company reported $1.14 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 net margin of 2.74% and a return on equity of 13.07%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 14.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business earned $7.49 EPS. On average, research analysts forecast that Valero Energy Co. will post 7.93 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 3rd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, January 30th will be issued a dividend of $1.13 per share. This is a positive change from Valero Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.07. This represents a $4.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.23%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, January 30th. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 38.39%.

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.