Verdence Capital Advisors LLC Raises Stake in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Verdence Capital Advisors LLC boosted its position in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 3.5% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 12,346 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after buying an additional 418 shares during the quarter. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $1,513,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Valero Energy during the third quarter valued at approximately $38,000. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. boosted its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 6.3% during the third quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. now owns 239,632 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $32,358,000 after purchasing an additional 14,143 shares during the period. NorthRock Partners LLC boosted its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 30.7% during the third quarter. NorthRock Partners LLC now owns 2,625 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $354,000 after purchasing an additional 616 shares during the period. Harvest Portfolios Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 18.4% during the third quarter. Harvest Portfolios Group Inc. now owns 11,333 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $1,530,000 after purchasing an additional 1,759 shares during the period. Finally, Foster & Motley Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 23.3% during the third quarter. Foster & Motley Inc. now owns 20,802 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $2,809,000 after purchasing an additional 3,934 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Valero Energy Price Performance

VLO opened at $121.81 on Thursday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $132.49 and a 200-day moving average price of $134.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a current ratio of 1.57 and a quick ratio of 1.11. The firm has a market cap of $38.56 billion, a PE ratio of 14.36, a P/E/G ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 1.42. Valero Energy Co. has a 1 year low of $116.84 and a 1 year high of $184.79.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The oil and gas company reported $0.64 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 predict that Valero Energy Co. will post 7.92 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 3rd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, January 30th were given a $1.13 dividend. This represents a $4.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.71%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, January 30th. This is a positive change from Valero Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.07. Valero Energy’s payout ratio is currently 53.30%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the company. Piper Sandler upgraded Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 10th. Barclays decreased their target price on Valero Energy from $146.00 to $140.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, November 11th. Tudor Pickering upgraded Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased 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. Finally, Mizuho decreased their price objective on Valero Energy from $165.00 to $158.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Valero Energy presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $154.46.

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.