Providence First Trust Co Buys Shares of 634 Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Providence First Trust Co purchased a new stake in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund purchased 634 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock, valued at approximately $78,000.

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

VLO has been the subject of several analyst reports. Mizuho decreased their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $165.00 to $158.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Barclays reduced their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $146.00 to $140.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, November 11th. Piper Sandler upgraded shares of Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 10th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on Valero Energy from $160.00 to $159.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Tudor Pickering raised Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Valero Energy presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $154.46.

Valero Energy Stock Up 0.7 %

Valero Energy stock opened at $130.59 on Friday. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $132.06 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $135.23. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a current ratio of 1.57. The company has a market cap of $41.34 billion, a PE ratio of 15.40, a PEG ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 1.42. Valero Energy Co. has a fifty-two week low of $116.84 and a fifty-two week high of $184.79.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The oil and gas company reported $0.64 EPS 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%. Equities analysts anticipate 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. Stockholders of record on Thursday, January 30th will be paid a $1.13 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, January 30th. This represents a $4.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.46%. This is a positive change from Valero Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.07. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 53.30%.

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.