Emerald Advisors LLC Buys 266 Shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Emerald Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 7.6% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 3,751 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after buying an additional 266 shares during the quarter. Emerald Advisors LLC’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $460,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in VLO. 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. bought a new position in Valero Energy during the 3rd quarter worth about $28,000. Tobam purchased a new position in Valero Energy during the 4th quarter valued at about $30,000. True Wealth Design LLC lifted its position in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 183 shares during the period. Finally, Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. bought a new position in shares of Valero Energy during the third quarter valued at approximately $38,000. 78.69% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Valero Energy Price Performance

Shares of VLO opened at $137.06 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $43.39 billion, a PE ratio of 16.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.91 and a beta of 1.42. 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 company’s fifty day moving average price is $130.76 and its 200-day moving average price is $135.94. Valero Energy Co. has a 1-year low of $116.84 and a 1-year high of $184.79.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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, equities research analysts predict that Valero Energy Co. will post 7.92 EPS for the current year.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 3rd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, January 30th will be paid a dividend of $1.13 per share. This represents a $4.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.30%. This is a boost from Valero Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.07. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, January 30th. Valero Energy’s payout ratio is presently 53.30%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages recently commented on VLO. TD Cowen reduced their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $145.00 to $140.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Tudor Pickering upgraded Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Citigroup dropped their price objective 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. Barclays decreased their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $146.00 to $140.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, November 11th. Finally, Mizuho cut 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 equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Valero Energy currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $154.46.

Valero Energy Company 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.