Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) Shares Acquired by Sandy Spring Bank

Sandy Spring Bank increased its stake in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 4.1% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 15,825 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after acquiring an additional 622 shares during the quarter. Sandy Spring Bank’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $1,940,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the stock. Generali Investments Management Co LLC acquired a new position in shares of Valero Energy in the 4th quarter worth $270,000. Stokes Family Office LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Valero Energy in the fourth quarter worth $389,000. North Forty Two & Co. acquired a new stake in shares of Valero Energy in the fourth quarter worth $414,000. OVERSEA CHINESE BANKING Corp Ltd boosted its position in shares of Valero Energy by 21.2% in the fourth quarter. OVERSEA CHINESE BANKING Corp Ltd now owns 4,124 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $493,000 after buying an additional 722 shares during the period. Finally, Generali Asset Management SPA SGR acquired a new stake in shares of Valero Energy in the fourth quarter worth $4,098,000. 78.69% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Valero Energy Price Performance

NYSE VLO opened at $135.00 on Friday. Valero Energy Co. has a fifty-two week low of $116.84 and a fifty-two week high of $184.79. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $133.87 and its two-hundred day moving average is $133.59. 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 $42.52 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.92, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 1.36.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The oil and gas company reported $0.64 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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%. On average, analysts anticipate that Valero Energy Co. will post 7.92 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 3rd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, January 30th were issued a dividend of $1.13 per share. This is a positive change from Valero Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.07. This represents a $4.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.35%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, January 30th. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 53.30%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

VLO has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. 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 research report on Friday, January 31st. Tudor Pickering raised Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Mizuho decreased their target price on Valero Energy from $165.00 to $158.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Finally, Piper Sandler reduced their price objective on Valero Energy from $149.00 to $144.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, March 7th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $156.08.

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.