Burke & Herbert Bank & Trust Co. Increases Holdings in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Burke & Herbert Bank & Trust Co. grew its holdings in shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 32.1% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 3,786 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after purchasing an additional 920 shares during the quarter. Burke & Herbert Bank & Trust Co.’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $464,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. New Wave Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Valero Energy during the 4th quarter worth $25,000. Peterson Financial Group Inc. purchased a new stake in Valero Energy in the 3rd quarter worth about $28,000. Tobam purchased a new stake in Valero Energy in the 4th quarter worth about $30,000. True Wealth Design LLC increased its holdings in Valero Energy by 196.8% in 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 during the last quarter. Finally, Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in Valero Energy in the 3rd quarter worth about $38,000. 78.69% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages recently weighed in on VLO. Mizuho decreased their price objective on Valero Energy from $165.00 to $158.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Piper Sandler raised Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 10th. Barclays decreased their price objective on Valero Energy from $146.00 to $140.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, November 11th. Tudor Pickering raised Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, Citigroup decreased their price target on Valero Energy from $192.00 to $176.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, October 25th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $154.46.

Valero Energy Price Performance

VLO stock opened at $135.49 on Monday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $130.55 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $136.15. 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 stock has a market cap of $42.89 billion, a PE ratio of 15.98, a P/E/G ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 1.42. Valero Energy Co. has a one year low of $116.84 and a one year high of $184.79.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The oil and gas company reported $0.64 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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 predict that Valero Energy Co. will post 7.86 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 3rd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, January 30th will be paid a $1.13 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, January 30th. This represents a $4.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.34%. This is a positive change from Valero Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.07. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 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.