StoneX Group Inc. Boosts Holdings in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

StoneX Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 2.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 16,384 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after buying an additional 350 shares during the quarter. StoneX Group Inc.’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $2,009,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in VLO. New Wave Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Valero Energy during the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Tobam purchased a new position in shares of Valero Energy during the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. OFI Invest Asset Management acquired a new stake in shares of Valero Energy in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $37,000. Golden State Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Valero Energy in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $38,000. Finally, Creative Capital Management Investments LLC grew its holdings in Valero Energy by 122.0% during the fourth quarter. Creative Capital Management Investments LLC now owns 333 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $41,000 after acquiring an additional 183 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Valero Energy Price Performance

VLO stock opened at $133.65 on Wednesday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $133.19 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $133.30. The company has a market cap of $42.10 billion, a PE ratio of 15.76, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 1.36. The company has a current ratio of 1.57, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. Valero Energy Co. has a 12-month low of $116.84 and a 12-month high of $184.79.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last announced its quarterly earnings results 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 net margin of 2.13% and a return on equity of 9.58%. As a group, research analysts predict that Valero Energy Co. will post 7.92 EPS for the current year.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 3rd. Investors of record on Thursday, January 30th were given a dividend of $1.13 per share. This represents a $4.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.38%. This is a boost from Valero Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.07. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, January 30th. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio is 53.30%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

VLO has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Tudor Pickering raised shares of Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Mizuho dropped their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $165.00 to $158.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on Valero Energy from $160.00 to $159.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Piper Sandler dropped their price objective on Valero Energy from $149.00 to $144.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company 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, ten have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $152.67.

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.