Miller Howard Investments Inc. NY Has $1.22 Million Holdings in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Miller Howard Investments Inc. NY decreased its position in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 7.3% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 9,972 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 780 shares during the period. Miller Howard Investments Inc. NY’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $1,222,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of VLO. Stephens Inc. AR increased its holdings in Valero Energy by 9.2% in the fourth quarter. Stephens Inc. AR now owns 60,757 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $7,448,000 after purchasing an additional 5,125 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC grew its position in shares of Valero Energy by 1.1% during the 4th quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 224,782 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $27,556,000 after buying an additional 2,511 shares during the period. Westbourne Investment Advisors Inc. lifted its position in shares of Valero Energy by 14.6% during the 4th quarter. Westbourne Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 55,045 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $6,748,000 after acquiring an additional 7,014 shares during the period. Cidel Asset Management Inc. boosted its stake in Valero Energy by 8.2% during the fourth quarter. Cidel Asset Management Inc. now owns 7,134 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $875,000 after acquiring an additional 543 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Shepherd Financial Partners LLC grew its holdings in Valero Energy by 2.4% in the fourth quarter. Shepherd Financial Partners LLC now owns 28,666 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $3,514,000 after purchasing an additional 672 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Valero Energy Trading Down 0.9 %

VLO stock opened at $133.05 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $42.12 billion, a PE ratio of 15.69, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 1.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a current ratio of 1.57. Valero Energy Co. has a one year low of $116.84 and a one year high of $184.79. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $130.66 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $137.13.

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 predict that Valero Energy Co. will post 7.86 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 3rd. Investors of record on Thursday, January 30th will be given a dividend of $1.13 per share. This represents a $4.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.40%. This is a positive change from Valero Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.07. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, January 30th. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 53.30%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on VLO shares. Citigroup dropped their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $192.00 to $176.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, October 25th. Tudor Pickering upgraded Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on Valero Energy from $160.00 to $159.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 31st. Mizuho cut their target price on Valero Energy from $165.00 to $158.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Finally, Bank of America began coverage on shares of Valero Energy in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $150.00 price target for the company. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $154.46.

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.