Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) Shares Purchased by Denali Advisors LLC

Denali Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 28.1% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 4,100 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after buying an additional 900 shares during the quarter. Denali Advisors LLC’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $503,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Daner Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Valero Energy during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $410,000. Horizon Advisory Services Inc. raised its stake in Valero Energy by 7.6% during the fourth quarter. Horizon Advisory Services Inc. now owns 2,116 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $259,000 after buying an additional 149 shares in the last quarter. BankPlus Trust Department bought a new position in shares of Valero Energy during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,613,000. Skylands Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of Valero Energy during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $2,151,000. Finally, Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA bought a new position in shares of Valero Energy during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $145,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Valero Energy Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE VLO opened at $129.65 on Friday. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $131.82 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $135.37. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a current ratio of 1.57. The firm has a market cap of $41.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.29, a PEG ratio of 2.93 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.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The oil and gas company reported $0.64 earnings per share (EPS) 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%. Research analysts forecast that Valero Energy Co. will post 7.92 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

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.