WP Advisors LLC Purchases 1,184 Shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

WP Advisors LLC boosted its position in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 3.4% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 35,524 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,184 shares during the quarter. Valero Energy accounts for 1.5% of WP Advisors LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 19th largest holding. WP Advisors LLC’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $4,355,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 0.5% during the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 10,287,269 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $1,389,090,000 after buying an additional 50,837 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 5.6% during the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 4,687,585 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $639,268,000 after buying an additional 247,630 shares during the last quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. grew its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 13.6% during the fourth quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 4,072,188 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $499,210,000 after buying an additional 487,022 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 4,908.0% during the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 2,850,526 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $384,907,000 after buying an additional 2,793,607 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Montrusco Bolton Investments Inc. grew its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 6.3% during the third quarter. Montrusco Bolton Investments Inc. now owns 2,533,434 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $342,090,000 after buying an additional 151,200 shares during the last quarter. 78.69% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

VLO has been the topic of a number of research reports. TD Cowen decreased their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $145.00 to $140.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note 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 note on Friday, October 25th. Mizuho decreased their target price 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 upgraded shares of Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, Barclays cut their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $146.00 to $140.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, November 11th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $154.46.

Valero Energy Price Performance

VLO stock opened at $139.09 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $44.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.40, a PEG ratio of 2.89 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 Co. has a 12-month low of $116.84 and a 12-month high of $184.79. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $130.95 and its 200 day simple moving average is $135.96.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last released its earnings results 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 net margin of 2.13% and a return on equity of 9.58%. On average, analysts expect that Valero Energy Co. will post 7.92 earnings per share for the current year.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The business 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. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, January 30th. This represents a $4.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.25%. This is a positive change from Valero Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.07. Valero Energy’s dividend 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.