Sendero Wealth Management LLC Makes New $2.23 Million Investment in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Sendero Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm bought 18,198 shares of the oil and gas company's stock, valued at approximately $2,231,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 0.5% in the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 10,287,269 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $1,389,090,000 after purchasing an additional 50,837 shares in the last quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. lifted its stake in Valero Energy by 2.8% in the 2nd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 6,956,743 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $1,090,532,000 after buying an additional 192,397 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its holdings in Valero Energy by 5.6% during the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 4,687,585 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $639,268,000 after buying an additional 247,630 shares during the last quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. increased its position in Valero Energy by 18.8% during the third quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 3,585,166 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $484,105,000 after buying an additional 567,059 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP raised its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 4,908.0% in the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 2,850,526 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $384,907,000 after acquiring an additional 2,793,607 shares during the last quarter. 78.69% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Valero Energy Trading Up 1.2 %

VLO stock traded up $1.60 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $139.51. 3,211,926 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,997,922. Valero Energy Co. has a fifty-two week low of $116.84 and a fifty-two week high of $184.79. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $131.09 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $138.59. The company has a market capitalization of $44.17 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.51, a PEG ratio of 2.43 and a beta of 1.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a current ratio of 1.57 and a quick ratio of 1.11.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The oil and gas company reported $1.14 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.98 by $0.16. The firm had revenue of $32.88 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $31.04 billion. Valero Energy had a net margin of 2.74% and a return on equity of 13.07%. The firm's revenue was down 14.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $7.49 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Valero Energy Co. will post 7.96 EPS 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. Investors of record on Thursday, January 30th will be issued a dividend of $1.13 per share. This is an increase from Valero Energy's previous quarterly dividend of $1.07. This represents a $4.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.24%. Valero Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 38.39%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages recently weighed in on VLO. Mizuho cut their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $165.00 to $158.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. TD Cowen reduced their price objective 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 lowered 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. BMO Capital Markets reduced their price target on 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, JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on Valero Energy from $172.00 to $151.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, October 2nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $154.57.

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.