Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) Stock Position Raised by Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC

Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC lifted its position in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 4.8% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 24,532 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after buying an additional 1,114 shares during the period. Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $3,007,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. New Wave Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Valero Energy in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Tobam purchased a new stake in Valero Energy in the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. True Wealth Design LLC raised its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 196.8% during the 3rd quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 276 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $37,000 after purchasing an additional 183 shares in the last quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Valero Energy during the 4th quarter valued at $38,000. Finally, OFI Invest Asset Management bought a new position in shares of Valero Energy during the 4th quarter valued at $37,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Valero Energy Stock Down 2.5 %

Valero Energy stock opened at $131.42 on Friday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $133.96 and a 200-day moving average of $133.48. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $41.39 billion, a PE ratio of 15.50, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 1.36. Valero Energy Co. has a twelve month low of $116.84 and a twelve month 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 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.14 by $0.50. Valero Energy had a net margin of 2.13% and a return on equity of 9.58%. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Valero Energy Co. will post 7.92 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 3rd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, January 30th were given a dividend of $1.13 per share. This is a positive change from Valero Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.07. This represents a $4.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.44%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, January 30th. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio is 53.30%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on VLO shares. Mizuho cut their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $165.00 to $158.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on shares of 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 upgraded shares of Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, Piper Sandler lowered their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $149.00 to $144.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, March 7th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $156.08.

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.