Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC Purchases 1,794 Shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC raised its holdings in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 10.5% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 18,899 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,794 shares during the quarter. Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $2,317,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings in Valero Energy by 0.5% in the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 10,287,269 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $1,389,090,000 after purchasing an additional 50,837 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its position in shares of Valero Energy by 5.6% during the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 4,687,585 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $639,268,000 after buying an additional 247,630 shares during the period. Pacer Advisors Inc. lifted its position in shares of Valero Energy by 13.6% during the 4th quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 4,072,188 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $499,210,000 after acquiring an additional 487,022 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its stake in Valero Energy by 4,908.0% during the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 2,850,526 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $384,907,000 after acquiring an additional 2,793,607 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Montrusco Bolton Investments Inc. increased its stake in Valero Energy by 6.3% in the third quarter. Montrusco Bolton Investments Inc. now owns 2,533,434 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $342,090,000 after purchasing an additional 151,200 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have weighed in on VLO. Bank of America started coverage on shares of Valero Energy in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $150.00 price objective on the stock. Mizuho dropped their price objective on Valero Energy from $165.00 to $158.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Barclays reduced their price target on Valero Energy from $146.00 to $140.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, November 11th. TD Cowen lowered their price objective on Valero Energy from $145.00 to $140.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $160.00 to $159.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 31st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Valero Energy currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $154.46.

Valero Energy Trading Up 0.1 %

VLO stock opened at $136.90 on Wednesday. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $43.34 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.14, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 1.42. Valero Energy Co. has a twelve month low of $116.84 and a twelve month high of $184.79. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $130.59 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $136.90.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last issued its earnings results 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, analysts anticipate that Valero Energy Co. will post 7.86 earnings per share for the current year.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 3rd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, January 30th will be given a dividend of $1.13 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, January 30th. This is an increase from Valero Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.07. This represents a $4.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.30%. 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.