Maridea Wealth Management LLC Makes New Investment in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Maridea Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 3,730 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock, valued at approximately $457,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in VLO. Segment Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 1.7% in the 4th quarter. Segment Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,947 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $606,000 after purchasing an additional 81 shares in the last quarter. Silver Coast Investments LLC boosted its position in shares of Valero Energy by 1.7% during the fourth quarter. Silver Coast Investments LLC now owns 5,070 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $622,000 after buying an additional 83 shares during the last quarter. Patrick M Sweeney & Associates Inc. increased its holdings in Valero Energy by 2.0% in the 4th quarter. Patrick M Sweeney & Associates Inc. now owns 4,687 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $575,000 after buying an additional 90 shares in the last quarter. Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators lifted its stake in Valero Energy by 6.6% during the 4th quarter. Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators now owns 1,514 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $186,000 after acquiring an additional 94 shares during the period. Finally, Providence Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 1.1% during the 4th quarter. Providence Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 8,878 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $1,086,000 after acquiring an additional 94 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Valero Energy Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:VLO opened at $131.43 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $41.40 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.50, a P/E/G ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 1.36. Valero Energy Co. has a 1-year low of $116.84 and a 1-year high of $184.79. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $133.49 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $133.31. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a current ratio of 1.57 and a quick ratio of 1.11.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last issued its 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 net margin of 2.13% and a return on equity of 9.58%. Research analysts expect that Valero Energy Co. will post 7.92 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 3rd. Investors of record on Thursday, January 30th were paid a dividend of $1.13 per share. This represents a $4.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.44%. 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%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

VLO has been the subject of several research reports. Piper Sandler decreased their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $149.00 to $144.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, March 7th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on Valero Energy from $160.00 to $159.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 31st. Tudor Pickering raised Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, Mizuho dropped their target price on 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 research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Valero Energy currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $152.67.

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.