Access Financial Services Inc. Acquires 168 Shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Access Financial Services Inc. grew its holdings in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 1.7% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 10,202 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after buying an additional 168 shares during the period. Access Financial Services Inc.’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $1,251,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of VLO. Brighton Jones LLC increased its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 8.2% in the second quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 2,440 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $383,000 after purchasing an additional 184 shares in the last quarter. Ieq Capital LLC grew its stake in Valero Energy by 10.2% during the second quarter. Ieq Capital LLC now owns 11,229 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $1,760,000 after acquiring an additional 1,040 shares in the last quarter. Summit Trail Advisors LLC grew its stake in Valero Energy by 4.1% during the second quarter. Summit Trail Advisors LLC now owns 3,295 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $517,000 after acquiring an additional 131 shares in the last quarter. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC grew its stake in Valero Energy by 212.6% during the second quarter. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC now owns 8,813 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $1,382,000 after acquiring an additional 5,994 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Symmetry Investments LP purchased a new position in Valero Energy during the second quarter valued at $258,000. 78.69% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Valero Energy Price Performance

Valero Energy stock opened at $141.21 on Monday. Valero Energy Co. has a 12-month low of $116.84 and a 12-month high of $184.79. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $131.25 and a 200-day moving average price of $138.34. The firm has a market capitalization of $44.70 billion, a PE ratio of 12.66, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.43 and a beta of 1.42. 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 (NYSE:VLO) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 24th. The oil and gas company reported $1.14 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.98 by $0.16. Valero Energy had a net margin of 2.74% and a return on equity of 13.07%. The company had revenue of $32.88 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $31.04 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $7.49 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 14.4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Valero Energy Co. will post 7.96 EPS for the current year.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 3rd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, January 30th will be issued a $1.13 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, January 30th. This represents a $4.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.20%. This is a positive change from Valero Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.07. Valero Energy’s payout ratio is currently 38.39%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently weighed in on VLO. Citigroup cut their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $192.00 to $176.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Scotiabank cut 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. Barclays dropped their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $146.00 to $140.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, November 11th. TD Cowen dropped their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $145.00 to $140.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Finally, Bank of America began coverage on shares of Valero Energy in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $150.00 price objective for the company. 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 stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $154.57.

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.