Motco Buys 24,431 Shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Motco lifted its stake in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 368.2% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 31,066 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after acquiring an additional 24,431 shares during the quarter. Motco’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $3,808,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in VLO. New Wave Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Valero Energy in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Peterson Financial Group Inc. acquired a new position in Valero Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at $28,000. Tobam bought a new position in Valero Energy in the 4th quarter worth $30,000. True Wealth Design LLC boosted its holdings in Valero Energy by 196.8% during the third quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 276 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $37,000 after acquiring an additional 183 shares during the period. Finally, Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Valero Energy in the third quarter valued at about $38,000. 78.69% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Valero Energy Stock Down 0.4 %

NYSE VLO opened at $129.65 on Friday. 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. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $131.82 and its two-hundred day moving average is $135.37. The company has a market capitalization of $41.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.29, a PEG ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 1.42.

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

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 3rd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, January 30th will be issued a dividend of $1.13 per share. This is a positive change from Valero Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.07. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, January 30th. This represents a $4.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.49%. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 53.30%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

VLO has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Barclays decreased their target price on Valero Energy from $146.00 to $140.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, November 11th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on Valero Energy from $160.00 to $159.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research 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. Mizuho reduced their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $165.00 to $158.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Finally, Piper Sandler upgraded shares of Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 10th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $154.46.

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.