Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) Shares Bought by Modera Wealth Management LLC

Modera Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 36.6% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 2,371 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after purchasing an additional 635 shares during the period. Modera Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $291,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of VLO. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. increased its stake in Valero Energy by 36.6% in the 4th quarter. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 1,831 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $225,000 after buying an additional 491 shares during the period. Norden Group LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 19.4% in the fourth quarter. Norden Group LLC now owns 4,809 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $590,000 after acquiring an additional 781 shares in the last quarter. Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC acquired a new position in shares of Valero Energy during the fourth quarter worth about $67,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in Valero Energy by 23.0% during the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 16,056 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $1,920,000 after purchasing an additional 3,004 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Metis Global Partners LLC lifted its position in Valero Energy by 6.7% in the fourth quarter. Metis Global Partners LLC now owns 18,757 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $2,299,000 after purchasing an additional 1,174 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on VLO shares. Piper Sandler raised Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 10th. Mizuho cut their price objective on Valero Energy from $165.00 to $158.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $160.00 to $159.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Barclays cut their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $146.00 to $140.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, November 11th. Finally, Tudor Pickering raised shares of Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $154.46.

Valero Energy Price Performance

VLO stock opened at $121.81 on Thursday. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $132.49 and its 200 day moving average price is $134.66. The firm has a market cap of $38.56 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.36, a PEG ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 1.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a current ratio of 1.57. Valero Energy Co. has a 1 year low of $116.84 and a 1 year high of $184.79.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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 return on equity of 9.58% and a net margin of 2.13%. On average, sell-side analysts expect 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 was paid on Monday, March 3rd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, January 30th were given a $1.13 dividend. This represents a $4.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.71%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, January 30th. This is a positive change from Valero Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.07. Valero Energy’s payout ratio is currently 53.30%.

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.