Larson Financial Group LLC Increases Position in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Larson Financial Group LLC increased its holdings in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 3.2% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 5,279 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after acquiring an additional 162 shares during the period. Larson Financial Group LLC’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $647,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. increased its position in shares of Valero Energy by 0.4% during the 4th quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. now owns 123,356 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $14,751,000 after purchasing an additional 455 shares during the last quarter. Kieckhefer Group LLC bought a new position in Valero Energy during the fourth quarter valued at about $1,226,000. Hudson Capital Management LLC grew its position in Valero Energy by 6.5% during the fourth quarter. Hudson Capital Management LLC now owns 31,792 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $3,897,000 after buying an additional 1,937 shares during the period. Miracle Mile Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Valero Energy during the fourth quarter worth about $274,000. Finally, Captrust Financial Advisors raised its position in Valero Energy by 7.5% in the third quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 89,762 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $12,121,000 after acquiring an additional 6,278 shares during the period. 78.69% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Valero Energy Trading Up 0.8 %

Shares of VLO opened at $127.00 on Monday. Valero Energy Co. has a twelve month low of $116.84 and a twelve month high of $184.79. The stock has a market cap of $40.21 billion, a PE ratio of 14.98, a P/E/G ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 1.36. 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 business’s 50-day moving average price is $132.76 and its 200-day moving average price is $134.34.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The oil and gas company reported $0.64 earnings per share 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%. On average, equities analysts forecast 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 given a $1.13 dividend. This represents a $4.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.56%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, January 30th. This is an increase from Valero Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.07. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 53.30%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on VLO shares. Piper Sandler reduced their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $149.00 to $144.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday. Mizuho reduced 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. Tudor Pickering upgraded Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on Valero Energy from $160.00 to $159.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Finally, 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. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Valero Energy has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $156.08.

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.