Foster Victor Wealth Advisors LLC Has $12.87 Million Stake in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Foster Victor Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 21.4% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 105,009 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after acquiring an additional 18,491 shares during the quarter. Foster Victor Wealth Advisors LLC’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $12,873,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC boosted its holdings in Valero Energy by 1.8% during the third quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 1,293,589 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $174,673,000 after buying an additional 22,571 shares during the last quarter. Kieckhefer Group LLC bought a new position in Valero Energy during the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,226,000. Hudson Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Valero Energy by 6.5% during the fourth quarter. Hudson Capital Management LLC now owns 31,792 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $3,897,000 after purchasing an additional 1,937 shares during the period. Miracle Mile Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Valero Energy during the 4th quarter worth $274,000. Finally, Captrust Financial Advisors lifted its holdings in Valero Energy by 7.5% during the third quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 89,762 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $12,121,000 after acquiring an additional 6,278 shares in the last quarter. 78.69% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

VLO has been the subject of a number of research reports. Scotiabank lowered their target price on Valero Energy from $173.00 to $141.00 and set a “sector outperform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, October 10th. Piper Sandler upgraded Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 10th. TD Cowen decreased their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $145.00 to $140.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Bank of America began coverage on Valero Energy in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $150.00 price target for the company. Finally, Mizuho cut their price objective on Valero Energy from $165.00 to $158.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $154.54.

Valero Energy Stock Performance

NYSE:VLO opened at $138.14 on Wednesday. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $131.15 and a 200 day simple moving average of $137.71. The stock has a market cap of $43.73 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.39, a PEG ratio of 2.81 and a beta of 1.42. Valero Energy Co. has a 1-year low of $116.84 and a 1-year high of $184.79. The company has a current ratio of 1.57, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 3rd. Investors of record on Thursday, January 30th will be given a dividend of $1.13 per share. This represents a $4.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.27%. This is a positive change from Valero Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.07. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, January 30th. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 38.39%.

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.