2,263 Shares in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) Acquired by Patten Group Inc.

Patten Group Inc. bought a new position in shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund bought 2,263 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock, valued at approximately $277,000.

Other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. New Wave Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Valero Energy in the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Peterson Financial Group Inc. bought a new stake in Valero Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at $28,000. Tobam bought a new stake in Valero Energy in the 4th quarter valued at $30,000. True Wealth Design LLC boosted its stake in Valero Energy by 196.8% in 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 during the period. Finally, Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in Valero Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at $38,000. 78.69% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Valero Energy Price Performance

Shares of VLO stock opened at $127.69 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.11, a current ratio of 1.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. Valero Energy Co. has a twelve month low of $116.84 and a twelve month high of $184.79. The company has a market cap of $40.42 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.06, a P/E/G ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 1.42. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $132.43 and a 200 day simple moving average of $134.75.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 return on equity of 9.58% and a net margin of 2.13%. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Valero Energy Co. will post 7.92 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 3rd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, January 30th were issued a $1.13 dividend. This represents a $4.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.54%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, January 30th. This is a boost from Valero Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.07. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 53.30%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

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.