LPL Financial LLC Raises Stock Holdings in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

LPL Financial LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO - Free Report) by 2.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 457,540 shares of the oil and gas company's stock after acquiring an additional 10,195 shares during the period. LPL Financial LLC owned 0.14% of Valero Energy worth $56,090,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the business. New Wave Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Valero Energy in the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Tobam purchased a new stake in Valero Energy in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. True Wealth Design LLC lifted its stake in Valero Energy by 196.8% during the third quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 276 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $37,000 after purchasing an additional 183 shares in the last quarter. OFI Invest Asset Management acquired a new stake in shares of Valero Energy in the fourth quarter valued at $37,000. Finally, Golden State Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Valero Energy in the fourth quarter valued at $38,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.69% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have weighed in on VLO. Wells Fargo & Company dropped 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. Tudor Pickering upgraded shares of Valero Energy from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Mizuho reduced their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $165.00 to $158.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Finally, Piper Sandler dropped their price target on shares of 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 assigned 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 stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $152.67.

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Valero Energy Stock Up 1.2 %

Shares of NYSE:VLO traded up $1.58 on Tuesday, hitting $133.65. 2,366,422 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,884,540. Valero Energy Co. has a 1-year low of $116.84 and a 1-year high of $184.79. The company has a market capitalization of $42.10 billion, a PE ratio of 15.76, a P/E/G ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 1.36. 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 is $133.19 and its 200 day moving average is $133.30.

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

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 3rd. Investors of record on Thursday, January 30th were paid a dividend of $1.13 per share. This is a positive change from Valero Energy's previous quarterly dividend of $1.07. This represents a $4.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.38%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, January 30th. Valero Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 53.30%.

About Valero Energy

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.