Moody Aldrich Partners LLC Acquires Shares of 13,818 Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Moody Aldrich Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 13,818 shares of the oil and gas company's stock, valued at approximately $1,694,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Perigon Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Valero Energy by 64.9% in the 4th quarter. Perigon Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,879 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $598,000 after buying an additional 1,920 shares in the last quarter. Patrick M Sweeney & Associates Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 2.0% during the 4th quarter. Patrick M Sweeney & Associates Inc. now owns 4,687 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $575,000 after acquiring an additional 90 shares during the period. BankPlus Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Valero Energy in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $361,000. Nilsine Partners LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 7.6% in the 4th quarter. Nilsine Partners LLC now owns 2,065 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $253,000 after purchasing an additional 145 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Foundations Investment Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 18.3% during the 4th quarter. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC now owns 42,599 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $5,222,000 after buying an additional 6,601 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.69% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have weighed in on VLO. Barclays reduced their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $146.00 to $140.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, November 11th. Citigroup decreased their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $192.00 to $176.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Piper Sandler upgraded Valero Energy from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Friday, January 10th. BMO Capital Markets dropped their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $175.00 to $165.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, October 4th. Finally, Scotiabank decreased their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $173.00 to $141.00 and set a "sector outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, October 10th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Valero Energy has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $154.54.

Valero Energy Stock Performance

NYSE VLO traded up $2.31 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $140.44. The company had a trading volume of 1,195,759 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,938,706. Valero Energy Co. has a fifty-two week low of $116.84 and a fifty-two week high of $184.79. The firm has a market cap of $44.46 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.59, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.81 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 business has a fifty day simple moving average of $131.15 and a 200-day simple moving average of $137.71.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 3rd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, January 30th will be given a $1.13 dividend. This is a boost from Valero Energy's previous quarterly dividend of $1.07. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, January 30th. This represents a $4.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.22%. Valero Energy's dividend payout ratio is 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.