AMG National Trust Bank Raises Holdings in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

AMG National Trust Bank lifted its stake in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 32.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,050 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after buying an additional 500 shares during the quarter. AMG National Trust Bank’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $251,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Edgestream Partners L.P. boosted its position in Valero Energy by 134.2% during the fourth quarter. Edgestream Partners L.P. now owns 39,875 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $4,888,000 after purchasing an additional 22,852 shares in the last quarter. Candriam S.C.A. boosted its position in Valero Energy by 3.3% during the fourth quarter. Candriam S.C.A. now owns 102,814 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $12,604,000 after purchasing an additional 3,264 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in Valero Energy during the fourth quarter worth approximately $132,469,000. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC boosted its position in Valero Energy by 3.5% during the fourth quarter. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC now owns 12,346 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $1,513,000 after purchasing an additional 418 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Proficio Capital Partners LLC purchased a new position in Valero Energy during the fourth quarter worth approximately $236,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Valero Energy Stock Performance

Shares of Valero Energy stock opened at $127.00 on Friday. Valero Energy Co. has a one year low of $116.84 and a one year high of $184.79. The company has a market cap of $40.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.98, a PEG ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 1.36. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a current ratio of 1.57. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $132.76 and its 200 day moving average price is $134.40.

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 predict that Valero Energy Co. will post 7.92 EPS for the current year.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 3rd. Investors of record on Thursday, January 30th were given a dividend of $1.13 per share. This is an increase from Valero Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.07. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, January 30th. This represents a $4.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.56%. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 53.30%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

VLO has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on Valero Energy from $160.00 to $159.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Tudor Pickering upgraded Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Mizuho lowered their price target on Valero Energy from $165.00 to $158.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Barclays decreased their target price on Valero Energy from $146.00 to $140.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, November 11th. Finally, Piper Sandler decreased their target price on Valero Energy from $149.00 to $144.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Valero Energy currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $156.08.

About Valero Energy

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.