Atria Investments Inc Increases Holdings in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Atria Investments Inc lifted its position in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 3.8% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 46,305 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,708 shares during the quarter. Atria Investments Inc’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $5,676,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. J.Safra Asset Management Corp purchased a new position in shares of Valero Energy in the fourth quarter worth about $62,000. Victory Capital Management Inc. raised its position in Valero Energy by 32.9% during the fourth quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 1,177,052 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $144,295,000 after acquiring an additional 291,412 shares in the last quarter. Keybank National Association OH raised its position in Valero Energy by 32.0% during the fourth quarter. Keybank National Association OH now owns 11,260 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $1,380,000 after acquiring an additional 2,731 shares in the last quarter. Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI raised its position in Valero Energy by 30.3% during the fourth quarter. Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI now owns 8,598 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $1,029,000 after acquiring an additional 1,999 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Patten Group Inc. purchased a new position in Valero Energy during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $277,000. 78.69% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages recently weighed in on VLO. Tudor Pickering upgraded Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Piper Sandler upgraded Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 10th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on Valero Energy from $160.00 to $159.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Barclays cut their price objective on Valero Energy from $146.00 to $140.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, November 11th. Finally, Mizuho cut their price objective on Valero Energy from $165.00 to $158.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $154.46.

Valero Energy Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:VLO opened at $125.83 on Friday. 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 business’s 50 day moving average price is $132.61 and its 200-day moving average price is $134.60. The firm has a market capitalization of $39.84 billion, a PE ratio of 14.84, a P/E/G ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 1.42. Valero Energy Co. has a 1 year low of $116.84 and a 1 year high of $184.79.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last issued 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 return on equity of 9.58% and a net margin of 2.13%. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Valero Energy Co. will post 7.92 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 3rd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, January 30th were paid a dividend of $1.13 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, January 30th. This represents a $4.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.59%. This is a positive change from Valero Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.07. Valero Energy’s 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.