Denali Advisors LLC Has $503,000 Stock Holdings in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Denali Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 28.1% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 4,100 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after acquiring an additional 900 shares during the quarter. Denali Advisors LLC’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $503,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of VLO. New Wave Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Valero Energy during the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. Peterson Financial Group Inc. acquired a new stake in Valero Energy during the third quarter valued at $28,000. Tobam acquired a new stake in Valero Energy during the fourth quarter valued at $30,000. True Wealth Design LLC boosted its position in 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 valued at $37,000 after purchasing an additional 183 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in Valero Energy during the third quarter valued at $38,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Valero Energy Trading Down 0.4 %

Valero Energy stock opened at $129.65 on Friday. 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 simple moving average is $131.82 and its 200-day simple moving average is $135.37. The firm has a market capitalization of $41.04 billion, a PE ratio of 15.29, a PEG ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 1.42. 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 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%. Equities research analysts forecast that Valero Energy Co. will post 7.92 earnings per share for the current year.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The company 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 represents a $4.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.49%. This is a positive change from Valero Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.07. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, January 30th. Valero Energy’s payout ratio is currently 53.30%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts recently issued reports on VLO shares. Piper Sandler raised 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 objective 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. Mizuho cut their target price on Valero Energy from $165.00 to $158.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Tudor Pickering upgraded Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, Barclays cut their target price on Valero Energy from $146.00 to $140.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, November 11th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Valero Energy currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target 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.