3,730 Shares in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) Purchased by Maridea Wealth Management LLC

Maridea Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm purchased 3,730 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock, valued at approximately $457,000.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Valero Energy in the fourth quarter worth $669,400,000. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Valero Energy by 16.1% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 34,725,700 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $4,257,024,000 after buying an additional 4,805,133 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 4,908.0% in the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 2,850,526 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $384,907,000 after acquiring an additional 2,793,607 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in Valero Energy in the fourth quarter worth about $132,469,000. Finally, Prudential Financial Inc. increased its stake in Valero Energy by 159.3% during the fourth quarter. Prudential Financial Inc. now owns 850,161 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $104,221,000 after acquiring an additional 522,233 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 equities analysts have recently commented on VLO shares. Tudor Pickering upgraded 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 shares of Valero Energy from $160.00 to $159.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Piper Sandler dropped their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $149.00 to $144.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, March 7th. Finally, Mizuho reduced their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $165.00 to $158.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $152.67.

Valero Energy Price Performance

Shares of VLO stock opened at $131.43 on Friday. Valero Energy Co. has a twelve month low of $116.84 and a twelve month high of $184.79. 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 stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $133.49 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $133.31. The stock has a market capitalization of $41.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.50, a P/E/G ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 1.36.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The oil and gas company reported $0.64 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.14 by $0.50. Valero Energy had a net margin of 2.13% and a return on equity of 9.58%. On average, analysts predict that Valero Energy Co. will post 7.92 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 3rd. Investors of record on Thursday, January 30th were paid a $1.13 dividend. This is an increase from Valero Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.07. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, January 30th. This represents a $4.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.44%. Valero Energy’s payout ratio is 53.30%.

Valero Energy 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.