Argonautica Private Wealth Management Inc. Decreases Stake in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Argonautica Private Wealth Management Inc. lessened its holdings in shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 0.6% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 19,050 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 123 shares during the quarter. Argonautica Private Wealth Management Inc.’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $2,335,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of VLO. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC lifted its stake in Valero Energy by 4.5% in the 3rd quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 102,703 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $13,868,000 after purchasing an additional 4,383 shares in the last quarter. abrdn plc boosted its stake in Valero Energy by 2.9% during the third quarter. abrdn plc now owns 430,867 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $58,122,000 after buying an additional 12,212 shares during the last quarter. Boston Financial Mangement LLC purchased a new stake in Valero Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at $216,000. Integrated Advisors Network LLC increased its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 5.6% in the 3rd quarter. Integrated Advisors Network LLC now owns 5,614 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $758,000 after acquiring an additional 297 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Diversify Advisory Services LLC boosted its position in shares of Valero Energy by 17.0% during the 3rd quarter. Diversify Advisory Services LLC now owns 5,055 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $686,000 after acquiring an additional 733 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

VLO has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Mizuho cut their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $165.00 to $158.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Piper Sandler raised shares of Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 10th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on Valero Energy from $160.00 to $159.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 31st. Tudor Pickering raised Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, Barclays decreased their price target on Valero Energy from $146.00 to $140.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, November 11th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $154.46.

Valero Energy Price Performance

Shares of VLO opened at $133.62 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.11, a current ratio of 1.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. Valero Energy Co. has a fifty-two week low of $116.84 and a fifty-two week high of $184.79. The company has a market cap of $42.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.76, a PEG ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 1.42. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $131.44 and its 200 day moving average price is $135.45.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The oil and gas company reported $0.64 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.14 by $0.50. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 9.58% and a net margin of 2.13%. On average, research analysts forecast that Valero Energy Co. will post 7.92 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 3rd. Investors of record on Thursday, January 30th will be issued a $1.13 dividend. This represents a $4.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.38%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, January 30th. This is a positive change from Valero Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.07. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio is 53.30%.

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.