Sendero Wealth Management LLC Takes $2.23 Million Position in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Sendero Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund acquired 18,198 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,231,000.

Several other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in VLO. Parallel Advisors LLC raised its position in Valero Energy by 5.7% in the second quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 3,786 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $594,000 after acquiring an additional 203 shares during the period. Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI lifted its holdings in Valero Energy by 82.6% in the 2nd quarter. Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI now owns 2,706 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $424,000 after buying an additional 1,224 shares during the period. Pekin Hardy Strauss Inc. grew its stake in Valero Energy by 1.5% in the second quarter. Pekin Hardy Strauss Inc. now owns 6,960 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $1,091,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the period. SYSTM Wealth Solutions LLC increased its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 4.6% during the second quarter. SYSTM Wealth Solutions LLC now owns 14,891 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $2,334,000 after acquiring an additional 661 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV raised its position in Valero Energy by 26.2% in the 2nd quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV now owns 80,124 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $12,543,000 after buying an additional 16,654 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Valero Energy Stock Up 3.0 %

VLO stock opened at $138.10 on Thursday. Valero Energy Co. has a fifty-two week low of $116.84 and a fifty-two week high of $184.79. The stock has a market cap of $43.72 billion, a PE ratio of 12.39, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.43 and a beta of 1.42. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $131.10 and its 200 day simple moving average is $138.59. 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 (NYSE:VLO) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 24th. The oil and gas company reported $1.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.98 by $0.16. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 13.07% and a net margin of 2.74%. The business had revenue of $32.88 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $31.04 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $7.49 earnings per share. Valero Energy’s quarterly revenue was down 14.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Valero Energy Co. will post 7.96 EPS for the current year.

Valero Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 20th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, November 20th were paid a $1.07 dividend. This represents a $4.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.10%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, November 20th. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 38.39%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts recently weighed in on VLO shares. Barclays dropped their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $146.00 to $140.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, November 11th. Bank of America initiated coverage on shares of Valero Energy in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $150.00 price objective for the company. Citigroup dropped their price target on Valero Energy from $192.00 to $176.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Scotiabank lowered their price target on Valero Energy from $173.00 to $141.00 and set a “sector outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, October 10th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on Valero Energy from $165.00 to $160.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, December 9th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $154.57.

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.