Pinnacle Wealth Management Advisory Group LLC Boosts Stock Position in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Pinnacle Wealth Management Advisory Group LLC boosted its stake in shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 11.1% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 14,582 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after buying an additional 1,459 shares during the quarter. Pinnacle Wealth Management Advisory Group LLC’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $1,788,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of VLO. New Wave Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Valero Energy during the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Peterson Financial Group Inc. purchased a new stake in Valero Energy in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $28,000. Tobam bought a new stake in shares of Valero Energy in the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. 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 buying an additional 183 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Valero Energy in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $38,000. 78.69% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

VLO has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Tudor Pickering upgraded Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. TD Cowen cut their price objective on Valero Energy from $145.00 to $140.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Citigroup cut their price objective on Valero Energy from $192.00 to $176.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Piper Sandler upgraded Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 10th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on Valero Energy from $160.00 to $159.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 31st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $154.46.

Valero Energy Stock Up 3.4 %

Shares of NYSE:VLO opened at $135.49 on Friday. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $130.55 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $136.52. The stock has a market capitalization of $42.89 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.98, a PEG ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 1.42. Valero Energy Co. has a 12-month low of $116.84 and a 12-month high of $184.79. 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 quarterly earnings data 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, research analysts anticipate that Valero Energy Co. will post 7.86 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 3rd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, January 30th will be issued a $1.13 dividend. This is a positive change from Valero Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.07. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, January 30th. This represents a $4.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.34%. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 53.30%.

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.