Federated Hermes Inc. Acquires 264 Shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Federated Hermes Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 0.2% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 122,365 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after purchasing an additional 264 shares during the quarter. Federated Hermes Inc.’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $15,001,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. New Wave Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Valero Energy during the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Tobam bought a new position in Valero Energy in the 4th quarter worth $30,000. OFI Invest Asset Management bought a new position in Valero Energy in the 4th quarter worth $37,000. Golden State Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Valero Energy in the 4th quarter worth $38,000. Finally, Creative Capital Management Investments LLC boosted its holdings in Valero Energy by 122.0% in the 4th quarter. Creative Capital Management Investments LLC now owns 333 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $41,000 after buying an additional 183 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Valero Energy Stock Up 10.5 %

Shares of NYSE VLO opened at $116.24 on Thursday. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $129.18 and its 200-day moving average price is $132.05. The company has a current ratio of 1.57, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. The stock has a market capitalization of $36.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.71, a P/E/G ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 1.17. Valero Energy Co. has a 12-month low of $99.00 and a 12-month high of $178.39.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The oil and gas company reported $0.64 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.14 by $0.50. Valero Energy had a net margin of 2.13% and a return on equity of 9.58%. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Valero Energy Co. will post 7.92 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 3rd. Investors of record on Thursday, January 30th were given a $1.13 dividend. This is a positive change from Valero Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.07. This represents a $4.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.89%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, January 30th. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio is 53.30%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages recently weighed in on VLO. Piper Sandler dropped their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $149.00 to $144.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, March 7th. Raymond James dropped their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $165.00 to $155.00 and set a “strong-buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $160.00 to $159.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 31st. Tudor Pickering upgraded shares of Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, Mizuho decreased their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $165.00 to $158.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Valero Energy has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $152.85.

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.