Shepherd Financial Partners LLC Grows Stock Holdings in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Shepherd Financial Partners LLC boosted its holdings in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 2.4% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 28,666 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after buying an additional 672 shares during the quarter. Shepherd Financial Partners LLC’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $3,514,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of VLO. New Wave Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Valero Energy during the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Peterson Financial Group Inc. purchased a new position in Valero Energy during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $28,000. Tobam acquired a new position in Valero Energy during the fourth quarter worth approximately $30,000. Compagnie Lombard Odier SCmA purchased a new stake in Valero Energy in the third quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Finally, True Wealth Design LLC boosted its holdings in shares of 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 valued at $37,000 after acquiring an additional 183 shares during the period. 78.69% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

VLO has been the subject of several research reports. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $160.00 to $159.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Piper Sandler raised shares of Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 10th. TD Cowen lowered their price target on Valero Energy from $145.00 to $140.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, October 25th. Citigroup reduced their price objective on Valero Energy from $192.00 to $176.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Finally, Bank of America assumed coverage on Valero Energy in a report on Thursday, October 17th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $150.00 target price on the stock. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $154.46.

Valero Energy Stock Down 0.9 %

Shares of NYSE VLO opened at $133.05 on Friday. 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 has a 50-day moving average price of $130.78 and a 200 day moving average price of $137.31. Valero Energy Co. has a 52 week low of $116.84 and a 52 week high of $184.79. The stock has a market capitalization of $42.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.69, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 1.42.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The oil and gas company reported $0.64 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.14 by $0.50. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 9.58% and a net margin of 2.13%. Equities research analysts anticipate that Valero Energy Co. will post 7.86 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. Stockholders of record on Thursday, January 30th will be given a $1.13 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, January 30th. This represents a $4.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.40%. This is a boost from Valero Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.07. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 53.30%.

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.