Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) Shares Acquired by HB Wealth Management LLC

HB Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 10.3% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 17,552 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after buying an additional 1,633 shares during the period. HB Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $2,152,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in VLO. Peterson Financial Group Inc. bought a new position in shares of Valero Energy during the third quarter worth about $28,000. Compagnie Lombard Odier SCmA bought a new position in Valero Energy during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $34,000. True Wealth Design LLC grew its position in shares of Valero Energy by 196.8% in the 3rd quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 276 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $37,000 after acquiring an additional 183 shares in the last quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Valero Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $38,000. Finally, Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Valero Energy during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $50,000. 78.69% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Valero Energy Stock Up 1.3 %

Valero Energy stock opened at $141.21 on Monday. Valero Energy Co. has a 52 week low of $116.84 and a 52 week high of $184.79. The stock has a market cap of $44.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.66, a PEG ratio of 2.43 and a beta of 1.42. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $131.25 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $138.34. 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 announced its earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The oil and gas company reported $1.14 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.98 by $0.16. The firm had revenue of $32.88 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $31.04 billion. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 13.07% and a net margin of 2.74%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 14.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $7.49 earnings per share. On average, analysts expect that Valero Energy Co. will post 7.96 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 3rd. Investors of record on Thursday, January 30th will be paid a dividend of $1.13 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, January 30th. This represents a $4.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.20%. This is a boost from Valero Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.07. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 40.54%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have weighed in on VLO. Scotiabank lowered their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $173.00 to $141.00 and set a “sector outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, October 10th. Citigroup dropped their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $192.00 to $176.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Piper Sandler upgraded Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 10th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on Valero Energy from $165.00 to $160.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, December 9th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lowered their price objective on Valero Energy from $175.00 to $165.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, October 4th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Valero Energy has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $154.57.

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.