SVB Wealth LLC Makes New $6.50 Million Investment in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

SVB Wealth LLC acquired a new position in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor acquired 53,004 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,498,000.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. increased its stake in Valero Energy by 0.4% in the 4th quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. now owns 123,356 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $14,751,000 after acquiring an additional 455 shares during the last quarter. Kieckhefer Group LLC bought a new stake in Valero Energy in the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,226,000. Hudson Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Valero Energy by 6.5% in the 4th quarter. Hudson Capital Management LLC now owns 31,792 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $3,897,000 after acquiring an additional 1,937 shares during the last quarter. Miracle Mile Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Valero Energy in the 4th quarter worth approximately $274,000. Finally, Captrust Financial Advisors boosted its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 7.5% in the 3rd quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 89,762 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $12,121,000 after purchasing an additional 6,278 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

Valero Energy Price Performance

VLO opened at $130.59 on Friday. Valero Energy Co. has a 52-week low of $116.84 and a 52-week high of $184.79. The stock has a market cap of $41.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.40, a PEG ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 1.42. The business has a fifty day moving average of $132.06 and a 200 day moving average of $135.23. 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 issued its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The oil and gas company reported $0.64 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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, sell-side analysts anticipate that Valero Energy Co. will post 7.92 EPS for the current year.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 3rd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, January 30th will be issued a $1.13 dividend. This represents a $4.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.46%. This is a boost from Valero Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.07. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, January 30th. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 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.