Brady Martz Wealth Solutions LLC Invests $703,000 in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Brady Martz Wealth Solutions LLC bought a new position in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm bought 5,247 shares of the oil and gas company's stock, valued at approximately $703,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of VLO. Quad Cities Investment Group LLC raised its holdings in Valero Energy by 1.6% during the third quarter. Quad Cities Investment Group LLC now owns 4,851 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $655,000 after buying an additional 75 shares in the last quarter. Providence Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in Valero Energy by 0.9% during the third quarter. Providence Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 8,784 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $1,169,000 after acquiring an additional 75 shares during the period. New Century Financial Group LLC increased its position in shares of Valero Energy by 5.0% during the third quarter. New Century Financial Group LLC now owns 1,708 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $231,000 after purchasing an additional 81 shares during the period. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 4.7% in the 3rd quarter. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,834 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $248,000 after buying an additional 82 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators raised its position in Valero Energy by 6.4% in the third quarter. Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators now owns 1,420 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $192,000 after purchasing an additional 85 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.69% of the company's stock.

Valero Energy Trading Up 1.3 %

VLO traded up $1.84 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $141.21. The stock had a trading volume of 2,531,248 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,560,424. The stock has a market capitalization of $44.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.66, a P/E/G ratio of 2.43 and a beta of 1.42. Valero Energy Co. has a 52 week low of $116.84 and a 52 week 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 fifty day simple moving average is $131.25 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $138.20.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The oil and gas company reported $1.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.98 by $0.16. Valero Energy had a net margin of 2.74% and a return on equity of 13.07%. The company had revenue of $32.88 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $31.04 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $7.49 EPS. The company's revenue was down 14.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts predict that Valero Energy Co. will post 7.96 EPS for the current year.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 3rd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, January 30th will be issued a dividend of $1.13 per share. This represents a $4.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.20%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, January 30th. This is a positive change from Valero Energy's previous quarterly dividend of $1.07. Valero Energy's payout ratio is currently 38.39%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on VLO. Citigroup dropped their target price on Valero Energy from $192.00 to $176.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Friday, October 25th. Piper Sandler upgraded shares of Valero Energy from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Friday, January 10th. Bank of America initiated coverage on shares of Valero Energy in a report on Thursday, October 17th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $150.00 target price on the stock. BMO Capital Markets reduced their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $175.00 to $165.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, October 4th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $172.00 to $151.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, October 2nd. 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 issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $154.57.

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.