Spire Wealth Management Purchases 117 Shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Spire Wealth Management grew its stake in shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 5.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 2,118 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after purchasing an additional 117 shares during the period. Spire Wealth Management’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $260,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 0.5% in the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 10,287,269 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $1,389,090,000 after buying an additional 50,837 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its stake in Valero Energy by 5.6% in 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 purchasing an additional 247,630 shares during the period. Pacer Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in Valero Energy by 13.6% in the 4th quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 4,072,188 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $499,210,000 after purchasing an additional 487,022 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its position 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 buying an additional 2,793,607 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Montrusco Bolton Investments Inc. lifted its position in Valero Energy by 6.3% during 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 during the last quarter. 78.69% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms recently weighed in on VLO. Citigroup dropped their target price on Valero Energy from $192.00 to $176.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Barclays cut their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $146.00 to $140.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, November 11th. Piper Sandler raised shares of Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 10th. Bank of America initiated coverage on Valero Energy in a report on Thursday, October 17th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $150.00 price target for the company. Finally, Mizuho reduced their target price 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 research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $154.46.

Valero Energy Trading Down 4.5 %

Valero Energy stock opened at $134.20 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $42.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.83, a P/E/G ratio of 2.67 and a beta of 1.42. Valero Energy Co. has a 12-month low of $116.84 and a 12-month high of $184.79. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $130.86 and a 200 day moving average of $137.33. The company has a current ratio of 1.57, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35.

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 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%. As a group, research analysts predict that Valero Energy Co. will post 8.29 earnings per share for the current year.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 3rd. Shareholders 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 represents a $4.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.37%. This is a positive change from Valero Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.07. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 53.30%.

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.