Stephens Inc. AR Boosts Stock Position in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Stephens Inc. AR increased its holdings in shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 9.2% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 60,757 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after buying an additional 5,125 shares during the period. Stephens Inc. AR’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $7,448,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in VLO. New Wave Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Valero Energy in the fourth quarter valued at about $25,000. Peterson Financial Group Inc. acquired a new stake in Valero Energy in the 3rd quarter worth about $28,000. Tobam purchased a new stake in Valero Energy during the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. Compagnie Lombard Odier SCmA acquired a new position in shares of Valero Energy during the third quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Finally, True Wealth Design LLC lifted its position in shares of Valero Energy by 196.8% in the third quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 276 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $37,000 after acquiring an additional 183 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Valero Energy Price Performance

NYSE:VLO opened at $133.05 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $42.12 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.69, a P/E/G ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 1.42. 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 52 week low of $116.84 and a 52 week high of $184.79. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $130.66 and its two-hundred day moving average is $137.13.

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, beating 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%. Equities analysts expect that Valero Energy Co. will post 7.86 EPS for the current year.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 3rd. Investors of record on Thursday, January 30th will be issued a $1.13 dividend. This represents a $4.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.40%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, January 30th. This is an increase from Valero Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.07. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 53.30%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently commented on VLO. Citigroup reduced their price objective on Valero Energy from $192.00 to $176.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Piper Sandler upgraded shares of Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 10th. Mizuho lowered their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $165.00 to $158.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Tudor Pickering upgraded shares of Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, Barclays lowered their target price on Valero Energy from $146.00 to $140.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, November 11th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Valero Energy has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus 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.