1,923 Shares in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) Bought by Proficio Capital Partners LLC

Proficio Capital Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor purchased 1,923 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock, valued at approximately $236,000.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its holdings in Valero Energy by 4,908.0% during 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 period. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund grew its position in shares of Valero Energy by 900.2% in the 3rd quarter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund now owns 631,095 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $85,217,000 after buying an additional 568,000 shares during the last quarter. Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Valero Energy during the third quarter valued at approximately $70,352,000. Pacer Advisors Inc. raised its holdings 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 valued at $499,210,000 after acquiring an additional 487,022 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Two Sigma Advisers LP boosted its holdings in Valero Energy by 501.1% in the third quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP now owns 582,500 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $78,655,000 after acquiring an additional 485,600 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Valero Energy Trading Up 1.9 %

NYSE:VLO opened at $134.50 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $42.36 billion, a PE ratio of 15.86, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 1.36. Valero Energy Co. has a 12 month low of $116.84 and a 12 month high of $184.79. The company has a current ratio of 1.57, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $133.81 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $133.35.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The oil and gas company reported $0.64 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 earnings per share for the current year.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 3rd. Investors of record on Thursday, January 30th were issued a $1.13 dividend. This is an increase from Valero Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.07. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, January 30th. This represents a $4.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.36%. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 53.30%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

VLO has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Piper Sandler dropped their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $149.00 to $144.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, March 7th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $160.00 to $159.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 31st. Tudor Pickering upgraded shares of Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, Mizuho dropped their price target on Valero Energy from $165.00 to $158.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Valero Energy presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $152.67.

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.