Savvy Advisors Inc. Makes New Investment in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Savvy Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 2,756 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock, valued at approximately $338,000.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Advisors Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Valero Energy by 6.1% in the 4th quarter. Advisors Capital Management LLC now owns 2,617 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $321,000 after purchasing an additional 151 shares in the last quarter. Sagespring Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Valero Energy in the fourth quarter worth about $219,000. Townsquare Capital LLC increased its position in shares of Valero Energy by 26.3% in the fourth quarter. Townsquare Capital LLC now owns 24,623 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $3,019,000 after acquiring an additional 5,134 shares in the last quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. raised its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 9.6% during the fourth quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 77,622 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $9,520,000 after acquiring an additional 6,791 shares during the period. Finally, Concorde Asset Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Valero Energy by 10.1% in the 4th quarter. Concorde Asset Management LLC now owns 1,922 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $236,000 after acquiring an additional 177 shares in the last quarter. 78.69% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Valero Energy Stock Performance

Shares of VLO opened at $110.36 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $34.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.01, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 1.17. The company’s fifty day moving average is $127.39 and its 200-day moving average is $131.52. 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 $99.00 and a 12 month high of $174.94.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The oil and gas company reported $0.64 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.14 by $0.50. Valero Energy had a net margin of 2.13% and a return on equity of 9.58%. Equities analysts expect that Valero Energy Co. will post 7.92 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 3rd. Investors of record on Thursday, January 30th were issued a $1.13 dividend. This is a positive change from Valero Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.07. This represents a $4.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.10%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, January 30th. Valero Energy’s payout ratio is 53.30%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have weighed in on VLO shares. Scotiabank lowered their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $156.00 to $136.00 and set a “sector outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday. Piper Sandler lowered their price target on Valero Energy from $149.00 to $144.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, March 7th. Raymond James decreased their price objective on Valero Energy from $165.00 to $155.00 and set a “strong-buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. Mizuho dropped their target price on Valero Energy from $165.00 to $158.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Finally, Tudor Pickering raised shares of Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $152.46.

Valero Energy Company 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.