Proficio Capital Partners LLC Makes New $236,000 Investment in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Proficio Capital Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor purchased 1,923 shares of the oil and gas company's stock, valued at approximately $236,000.

Other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Quest Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Valero Energy in the third quarter valued at about $134,000. Summit Trail Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Valero Energy by 9.2% in the 3rd quarter. Summit Trail Advisors LLC now owns 3,597 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $486,000 after purchasing an additional 302 shares in the last quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. increased its position in Valero Energy by 10.7% during the 3rd quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 39,708 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $5,362,000 after purchasing an additional 3,829 shares during the period. Fisher Asset Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 89.1% during the 3rd quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 16,855 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $2,276,000 after buying an additional 7,942 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Valero Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $1,077,000. 78.69% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Valero Energy Trading Down 1.4 %

VLO traded down $1.80 on Friday, reaching $131.43. 1,932,255 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,886,649. Valero Energy Co. has a twelve month low of $116.84 and a twelve month high of $184.79. The company's 50 day moving average is $133.49 and its 200-day moving average is $133.31. 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 $41.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.50, a PEG ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 1.36.

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Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The oil and gas company reported $0.64 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.14 by $0.50. Valero Energy had a net margin of 2.13% and a return on equity of 9.58%. Equities analysts predict that Valero Energy Co. will post 7.92 earnings per share for the current year.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 3rd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, January 30th were given a $1.13 dividend. This represents a $4.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.44%. This is a positive change 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 presently 53.30%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have commented on VLO. Tudor Pickering upgraded shares of Valero Energy from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Mizuho cut 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. Piper Sandler lowered their price objective 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. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $160.00 to $159.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 31st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently 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.