Stablepoint Partners LLC Has $1.43 Million Stock Position in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Stablepoint Partners LLC lowered its position in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 0.9% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 11,699 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 108 shares during the period. Stablepoint Partners LLC’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $1,434,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in VLO. Peterson Financial Group Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Valero Energy in the third quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Compagnie Lombard Odier SCmA acquired a new position in Valero Energy in the 3rd quarter worth $34,000. True Wealth Design LLC increased its holdings in Valero Energy by 196.8% during the 3rd 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. acquired a new stake in shares of Valero Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at about $38,000. Finally, Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new stake in shares of Valero Energy in the third quarter valued at about $50,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on VLO shares. TD Cowen decreased their price objective on Valero Energy from $145.00 to $140.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, October 25th. Barclays lowered their price objective 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. Citigroup cut their price objective 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $172.00 to $151.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, October 2nd. Finally, Piper Sandler upgraded shares of Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 10th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $154.54.

Valero Energy Stock Down 0.7 %

VLO stock opened at $139.80 on Monday. Valero Energy Co. has a 1-year low of $116.84 and a 1-year high of $184.79. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $131.28 and its 200 day simple moving average is $137.87. The company has a current ratio of 1.57, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. The firm has a market capitalization of $44.26 billion, a PE ratio of 12.54, a PEG ratio of 2.81 and a beta of 1.42.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 24th. The oil and gas company reported $1.14 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.98 by $0.16. The firm had revenue of $32.88 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $31.04 billion. Valero Energy had a net margin of 2.74% and a return on equity of 13.07%. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 14.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $7.49 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Valero Energy Co. will post 7.93 EPS for the current year.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 3rd. Investors of record on Thursday, January 30th will be paid a $1.13 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, January 30th. This represents a $4.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.23%. This is a positive change from Valero Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.07. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio is 38.39%.

Valero Energy Company 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.