U.S. Capital Wealth Advisors LLC Acquires 265 Shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

U.S. Capital Wealth Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 1.5% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 17,525 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after acquiring an additional 265 shares during the quarter. U.S. Capital Wealth Advisors LLC’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $2,148,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of VLO. New Wave Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Valero Energy in the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Peterson Financial Group Inc. bought a new position in Valero Energy in the 3rd quarter worth about $28,000. Compagnie Lombard Odier SCmA bought a new position in Valero Energy in the third quarter worth approximately $34,000. True Wealth Design LLC grew its stake in Valero Energy by 196.8% in the third 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. bought a new position in Valero Energy in the third quarter worth approximately $38,000. Institutional investors own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Valero Energy Stock Performance

VLO opened at $136.22 on Tuesday. The company has a market cap of $43.12 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.06, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.67 and a beta of 1.42. 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 firm’s 50-day moving average price is $130.83 and its 200-day moving average price is $137.43. Valero Energy Co. has a 52-week low of $116.84 and a 52-week high of $184.79.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last released 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%. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Valero Energy Co. will post 8.29 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared 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 3.32%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, January 30th. This is an increase from Valero Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.07. Valero Energy’s payout ratio is presently 53.30%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on VLO. Mizuho dropped their price target 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. TD Cowen dropped their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $145.00 to $140.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, October 25th. 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 research note on Friday, October 25th. Scotiabank dropped their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $173.00 to $141.00 and set a “sector outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, October 10th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on Valero Energy from $160.00 to $159.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Valero Energy presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target 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.