CoreCap Advisors LLC Has $243,000 Holdings in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

CoreCap Advisors LLC grew its stake in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 32.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,867 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after buying an additional 455 shares during the period. CoreCap Advisors LLC’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $243,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. Morgan Stanley lifted its position in shares of Valero Energy by 4.1% during the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 10,065,228 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $1,276,875,000 after purchasing an additional 395,771 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Valero Energy by 8.3% during the 1st quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 7,635,050 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $775,264,000 after purchasing an additional 587,056 shares during the last quarter. Nuveen Asset Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Valero Energy by 7.6% during the 2nd quarter. Nuveen Asset Management LLC now owns 6,128,301 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $718,850,000 after purchasing an additional 434,057 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Valero Energy during the 4th quarter worth about $534,892,000. Finally, Northern Trust Corp lifted its position in shares of Valero Energy by 3.2% during the 3rd quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 3,899,875 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $552,651,000 after purchasing an additional 121,057 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have commented on VLO. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on Valero Energy from $138.00 to $171.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 20th. Citigroup began coverage on Valero Energy in a report on Wednesday, January 24th. They issued a “buy” rating for the company. UBS Group upped their price objective on Valero Energy from $167.00 to $197.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Mizuho lowered Valero Energy from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and upped their price objective for the company from $150.00 to $173.00 in a research note on Friday, March 22nd. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on Valero Energy from $130.00 to $171.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a research report on Friday, March 22nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Valero Energy presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $165.69.

Valero Energy Stock Performance

Shares of Valero Energy stock opened at $167.83 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $55.80 billion, a PE ratio of 6.79, a PEG ratio of 1.78 and a beta of 1.53. Valero Energy Co. has a 12 month low of $104.18 and a 12 month high of $172.46. The company has a current ratio of 1.56, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $144.94 and its 200 day simple moving average is $135.53.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 25th. The oil and gas company reported $3.55 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.95 by $0.60. The business had revenue of $35.41 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $34.76 billion. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 31.62% and a net margin of 6.10%. The firm’s revenue was down 15.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $8.45 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that Valero Energy Co. will post 15.66 EPS for the current year.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 4th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, February 1st were issued a $1.07 dividend. This represents a $4.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.55%. This is a positive change from Valero Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.02. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, January 31st. Valero Energy’s payout ratio is 17.31%.

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.