Miracle Mile Advisors LLC Makes New $274,000 Investment in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Miracle Mile Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm purchased 2,238 shares of the oil and gas company's stock, valued at approximately $274,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in VLO. Quad Cities Investment Group LLC grew its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 1.6% during the 3rd quarter. Quad Cities Investment Group LLC now owns 4,851 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $655,000 after acquiring an additional 75 shares in the last quarter. Providence Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Valero Energy by 0.9% in 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 purchasing an additional 75 shares during the period. New Century Financial Group LLC lifted its position in 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 worth $231,000 after acquiring an additional 81 shares during the last quarter. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Valero Energy by 4.7% in the third quarter. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,834 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $248,000 after acquiring an additional 82 shares during the period. Finally, Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators increased its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 6.4% during 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 during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.69% of the company's stock.

Valero Energy Trading Up 1.3 %

Shares of Valero Energy stock traded up $1.84 during trading on Friday, reaching $141.21. 2,513,138 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,952,128. Valero Energy Co. has a 1 year low of $116.84 and a 1 year high of $184.79. The firm has a market cap of $44.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.66, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.43 and a beta of 1.42. The company has a quick ratio of 1.11, a current ratio of 1.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. The stock's fifty day moving average is $131.16 and its 200 day moving average is $138.59.

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

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on VLO. TD Cowen reduced their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $145.00 to $140.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Scotiabank dropped their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $173.00 to $141.00 and set a "sector outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, October 10th. Bank of America assumed coverage on Valero Energy in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. They set a "neutral" rating and a $150.00 target price for the company. Piper Sandler upgraded Valero Energy from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Friday, January 10th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $165.00 to $160.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, December 9th. 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 two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $154.57.

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.