Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) Shares Purchased by HighPoint Advisor Group LLC

HighPoint Advisor Group LLC grew its position in shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 7.6% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 4,666 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after purchasing an additional 329 shares during the quarter. HighPoint Advisor Group LLC’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $572,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of VLO. New Wave Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Valero Energy during the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Tobam acquired a new position in shares of Valero Energy during the fourth quarter worth approximately $30,000. OFI Invest Asset Management bought a new position in Valero Energy in the 4th quarter worth approximately $37,000. Golden State Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Valero Energy in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $38,000. Finally, Creative Capital Management Investments LLC raised its stake in Valero Energy by 122.0% during the 4th quarter. Creative Capital Management Investments LLC now owns 333 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $41,000 after acquiring an additional 183 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

VLO has been the topic of a number of research 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 report on Friday, January 31st. Mizuho lowered their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $165.00 to $158.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Tudor Pickering raised shares of Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, Piper Sandler lowered their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $149.00 to $144.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, March 7th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Valero Energy presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $152.67.

Valero Energy Stock Up 0.0 %

VLO stock opened at $133.77 on Thursday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $133.17 and a two-hundred day moving average of $133.30. 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 Co. has a 12-month low of $116.84 and a 12-month high of $184.79. The company has a market cap of $42.13 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.77, a PEG ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 1.36.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The oil and gas company reported $0.64 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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, equities analysts anticipate that Valero Energy Co. will post 7.92 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The firm 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 represents a $4.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.38%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, January 30th. This is a positive change from Valero Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.07. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) 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.