Banco de Sabadell S.A Boosts Stock Position in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Banco de Sabadell S.A raised its holdings in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 1.2% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 15,671 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after acquiring an additional 192 shares during the period. Banco de Sabadell S.A’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $1,922,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in VLO. New Wave Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Valero Energy during the 4th quarter worth $25,000. Tobam acquired a new position in shares of Valero Energy in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $30,000. True Wealth Design LLC boosted its stake in Valero Energy by 196.8% during the 3rd quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 276 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $37,000 after acquiring an additional 183 shares during the last quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Valero Energy during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $38,000. Finally, OFI Invest Asset Management acquired a new stake in shares of Valero Energy during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $37,000. 78.69% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on the stock. Tudor Pickering raised shares of Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Piper Sandler lowered their target price 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. Mizuho dropped their price objective on Valero Energy from $165.00 to $158.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $160.00 to $159.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 31st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $156.08.

Valero Energy Stock Performance

NYSE VLO opened at $131.42 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $41.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.50, a PEG ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 1.36. Valero Energy Co. has a 1-year low of $116.84 and a 1-year high of $184.79. The company has a 50 day moving average of $133.96 and a 200-day moving average of $133.43. The company has a current ratio of 1.57, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last released its quarterly earnings results 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 forecast that Valero Energy Co. will post 7.92 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 3rd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, January 30th were issued a dividend of $1.13 per share. This is an increase from Valero Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.07. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, January 30th. This represents a $4.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.44%. 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.