Checchi Capital Advisers LLC Acquires 164 Shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Checchi Capital Advisers LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 2.9% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 5,733 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after buying an additional 164 shares during the period. Checchi Capital Advisers LLC’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $703,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. New Wave Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in Valero Energy during the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. Peterson Financial Group Inc. bought a new position in Valero Energy during the 3rd quarter worth about $28,000. Tobam bought a new position in Valero Energy during the 4th quarter worth about $30,000. True Wealth Design LLC grew 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 acquiring an additional 183 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. bought a new position in Valero Energy during the 3rd quarter worth about $38,000. 78.69% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Valero Energy Stock Performance

Shares of Valero Energy stock opened at $130.11 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $41.19 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.34, a PEG ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 1.42. The company has a quick ratio of 1.11, a current ratio of 1.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $131.61 and a 200 day moving average price of $135.41. Valero Energy Co. has a 52 week low of $116.84 and a 52 week high of $184.79.

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

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 3rd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, January 30th will be given a dividend of $1.13 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, January 30th. This is a positive change from Valero Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.07. This represents a $4.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.47%. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 53.30%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have commented on the stock. Tudor Pickering raised shares of Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Mizuho decreased their price target 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 target on shares of Valero Energy from $160.00 to $159.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Barclays decreased their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $146.00 to $140.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, November 11th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $154.46.

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.