Wambolt & Associates LLC Has $1.18 Million Holdings in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Wambolt & Associates LLC decreased its holdings in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 12.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 9,609 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 1,382 shares during the quarter. Wambolt & Associates LLC’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $1,178,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in VLO. Potentia Wealth acquired a new stake in shares of Valero Energy during the 4th quarter valued at $361,000. Modern Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Valero Energy during the fourth quarter worth about $180,000. Prudential Financial Inc. increased its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 159.3% in the fourth quarter. Prudential Financial Inc. now owns 850,161 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $104,221,000 after buying an additional 522,233 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in Valero Energy by 16.1% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 34,725,700 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $4,257,024,000 after buying an additional 4,805,133 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Oppenheimer & Close LLC acquired a new stake in Valero Energy during the 4th quarter worth approximately $422,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

VLO has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Tudor Pickering upgraded shares of Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Mizuho decreased their price target on Valero Energy from $165.00 to $158.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Piper Sandler dropped their price objective on Valero Energy from $149.00 to $144.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, March 7th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered 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. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $156.08.

Valero Energy Trading Up 0.4 %

Shares of VLO stock opened at $132.00 on Tuesday. Valero Energy Co. has a 12-month low of $116.84 and a 12-month high of $184.79. The company has a quick ratio of 1.11, a current ratio of 1.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. The company has a 50 day moving average of $133.93 and a 200-day moving average of $133.36. The firm has a market cap of $41.58 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.57, a PEG ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 1.36.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The oil and gas company reported $0.64 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%. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Valero Energy Co. will post 7.92 earnings per share for the current 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 issued a $1.13 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, January 30th. This is an increase from Valero Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.07. This represents a $4.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.42%. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 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.