Providence First Trust Co Purchases New Position in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Providence First Trust Co purchased a new stake in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund purchased 634 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock, valued at approximately $78,000.

Several other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of VLO. New Wave Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Valero Energy in the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Peterson Financial Group Inc. purchased a new position in Valero Energy in the third quarter valued at $28,000. Tobam acquired a new position in shares of Valero Energy in the fourth quarter worth about $30,000. True Wealth Design LLC boosted its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 196.8% during 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. Finally, Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Valero Energy during the 3rd quarter valued at about $38,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

Valero Energy Stock Performance

VLO opened at $130.59 on Friday. Valero Energy Co. has a twelve month low of $116.84 and a twelve month high of $184.79. The firm has a market capitalization of $41.34 billion, a PE ratio of 15.40, a PEG ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 1.42. The company has a current ratio of 1.57, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $132.06 and its 200 day moving average price is $135.23.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last released its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The oil and gas company reported $0.64 earnings per share 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, sell-side analysts expect that Valero Energy Co. will post 7.92 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The business 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 boost from Valero Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.07. This represents a $4.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.46%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, January 30th. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 53.30%.

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.