Heritage Wealth Management Inc. Sells 398 Shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Heritage Wealth Management Inc. reduced its stake in shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 2.0% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 19,252 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 398 shares during the quarter. Valero Energy comprises about 0.8% of Heritage Wealth Management Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 27th biggest position. Heritage Wealth Management Inc.’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $2,360,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. New Wave Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Valero Energy during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Peterson Financial Group Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Valero Energy during the third quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Tobam bought a new stake in shares of Valero Energy during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. True Wealth Design LLC grew its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 196.8% during the third quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 276 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $37,000 after purchasing an additional 183 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in Valero Energy in the third quarter valued at approximately $38,000. 78.69% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Valero Energy Trading Up 0.7 %

Shares of NYSE:VLO opened at $130.59 on Friday. 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’s fifty day simple moving average is $132.06 and its 200 day simple moving average is $135.14. The firm has a market cap of $41.34 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.40, a PEG ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 1.42.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The oil and gas company reported $0.64 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.14 by $0.50. Valero Energy had a net margin of 2.13% and a return on equity of 9.58%. As a group, research analysts forecast that Valero Energy Co. will post 7.92 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 3rd. Investors of record on Thursday, January 30th will be issued a dividend of $1.13 per share. This represents a $4.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.46%. This is a positive change from Valero Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.07. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, January 30th. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 53.30%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on VLO shares. Piper Sandler upgraded shares of Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 10th. Mizuho cut their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $165.00 to $158.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Barclays cut their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $146.00 to $140.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, November 11th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $160.00 to $159.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Tudor Pickering upgraded shares of Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. One equities research 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 stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Valero Energy currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $154.46.

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.