Fiduciary Alliance LLC Acquires 376 Shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Fiduciary Alliance LLC increased its stake in shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 14.1% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 3,044 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after buying an additional 376 shares during the period. Fiduciary Alliance LLC’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $373,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in VLO. EWG Elevate Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Valero Energy in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $438,000. Czech National Bank boosted its position in Valero Energy by 5.2% in the 4th quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 68,642 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $8,415,000 after buying an additional 3,378 shares during the last quarter. Tilia Fiduciary Partners Inc. increased its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 6.9% in the 4th quarter. Tilia Fiduciary Partners Inc. now owns 15,553 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $1,907,000 after buying an additional 1,000 shares during the period. Watts Gwilliam & Co. LLC bought a new stake in shares of Valero Energy during the fourth quarter worth $1,414,000. Finally, Douglas Lane & Associates LLC lifted its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 10.7% during the fourth quarter. Douglas Lane & Associates LLC now owns 30,528 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $3,742,000 after acquiring an additional 2,963 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have weighed in on VLO. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on Valero Energy from $165.00 to $160.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, December 9th. Bank of America initiated coverage on shares of Valero Energy in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $150.00 price target for the company. Barclays reduced their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $146.00 to $140.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, November 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $172.00 to $151.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, October 2nd. Finally, Piper Sandler upgraded Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 10th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Valero Energy currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $154.57.

Valero Energy Stock Performance

Shares of VLO opened at $134.18 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $42.48 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.03, a PEG ratio of 2.43 and a beta of 1.42. Valero Energy Co. has a twelve month low of $116.84 and a twelve month high of $184.79. 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 firm’s 50 day moving average price is $131.10 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $138.59.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 24th. The oil and gas company reported $1.14 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.98 by $0.16. The business had revenue of $32.88 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $31.04 billion. Valero Energy had a net margin of 2.74% and a return on equity of 13.07%. The firm’s revenue was down 14.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $7.49 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that Valero Energy Co. will post 8.86 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 20th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, November 20th were given a dividend of $1.07 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, November 20th. This represents a $4.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.19%. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 38.39%.

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.