WP Advisors LLC Has $4.36 Million Stock Position in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

WP Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 3.4% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 35,524 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,184 shares during the period. Valero Energy makes up 1.5% of WP Advisors LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 19th biggest holding. WP Advisors LLC’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $4,355,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in VLO. New Wave Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Valero Energy during the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Peterson Financial Group Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Valero Energy during the third quarter worth about $28,000. Tobam bought a new stake in shares of Valero Energy during the fourth quarter worth about $30,000. True Wealth Design LLC increased its position in shares of Valero Energy by 196.8% during the third 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 stake in shares of Valero Energy during the third quarter worth about $38,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Barclays decreased their target price 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. Citigroup decreased their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $192.00 to $176.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Mizuho reduced 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. Tudor Pickering raised shares of Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective 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. 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 issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Valero Energy presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $154.46.

Valero Energy Stock Up 1.4 %

Valero Energy stock opened at $139.09 on Friday. Valero Energy Co. has a twelve month low of $116.84 and a twelve month high of $184.79. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $130.95 and a 200-day moving average price of $135.96. The company has a market capitalization of $44.03 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.40, a P/E/G ratio of 2.89 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.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last released its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The oil and gas company reported $0.64 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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%. As a group, equities analysts predict 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. Investors of record on Thursday, January 30th will be paid a dividend of $1.13 per share. This is a boost from Valero Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.07. This represents a $4.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.25%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, January 30th. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 53.30%.

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.