Westbourne Investment Advisors Inc. Raises Stock Position in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Westbourne Investment Advisors Inc. increased its stake in shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 14.6% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 55,045 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after acquiring an additional 7,014 shares during the quarter. Valero Energy comprises approximately 2.3% of Westbourne Investment Advisors Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 14th largest holding. Westbourne Investment Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $6,748,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of VLO. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in 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 during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. increased its position in Valero Energy by 5.6% in 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 acquiring an additional 247,630 shares during the period. Pacer Advisors Inc. lifted its position in Valero Energy by 13.6% during the 4th quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 4,072,188 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $499,210,000 after acquiring an additional 487,022 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 4,908.0% in the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 2,850,526 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $384,907,000 after purchasing an additional 2,793,607 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Montrusco Bolton Investments Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 6.3% in the third quarter. Montrusco Bolton Investments Inc. now owns 2,533,434 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $342,090,000 after purchasing an additional 151,200 shares during the period. 78.69% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

VLO has been the topic of several recent research reports. Mizuho dropped their price objective 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. Tudor Pickering raised Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday. TD Cowen dropped their price objective on Valero Energy from $145.00 to $140.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, October 25th. Citigroup decreased their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $192.00 to $176.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, October 25th. 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 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 an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $154.46.

Valero Energy Stock Down 0.9 %

VLO opened at $133.05 on Friday. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $130.78 and its 200 day simple moving average is $137.31. Valero Energy Co. has a 52 week low of $116.84 and a 52 week high of $184.79. The firm has a market cap of $42.12 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.69, a PEG ratio of 2.85 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.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 net margin of 2.13% and a return on equity of 9.58%. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Valero Energy Co. will post 7.86 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 3rd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, January 30th will be given a $1.13 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, January 30th. This represents a $4.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.40%. This is an increase from Valero Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.07. Valero Energy’s payout ratio is currently 53.30%.

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.