Geneos Wealth Management Inc. Has $2.55 Million Stock Position in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Geneos Wealth Management Inc. lowered its holdings in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 6.4% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 20,827 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 1,426 shares during the period. Geneos Wealth Management Inc.’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $2,553,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC grew its holdings in Valero Energy by 1.8% in the 3rd quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 1,293,589 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $174,673,000 after buying an additional 22,571 shares during the last quarter. Kieckhefer Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Valero Energy during the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,226,000. Miracle Mile Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Valero Energy during the 4th quarter worth approximately $274,000. Hudson Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 6.5% during the 4th quarter. Hudson Capital Management LLC now owns 31,792 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $3,897,000 after purchasing an additional 1,937 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Captrust Financial Advisors grew its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 7.5% during the 3rd quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 89,762 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $12,121,000 after purchasing an additional 6,278 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Valero Energy Price Performance

Shares of NYSE VLO opened at $139.80 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $44.26 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.54, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.81 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 Co. has a 1-year low of $116.84 and a 1-year high of $184.79. The business’s 50 day moving average is $131.28 and its 200-day moving average is $137.93.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The oil and gas company reported $1.14 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.98 by $0.16. The company had revenue of $32.88 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $31.04 billion. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 13.07% and a net margin of 2.74%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 14.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $7.49 earnings per share. Equities research analysts predict that Valero Energy Co. will post 7.93 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. Shareholders of record on Thursday, January 30th will be paid a dividend of $1.13 per share. This represents a $4.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.23%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, January 30th. This is a positive change from Valero Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.07. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 38.39%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

VLO has been the topic of several recent research reports. Scotiabank decreased their price objective on Valero Energy from $173.00 to $141.00 and set a “sector outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, October 10th. Mizuho decreased their price objective on Valero Energy from $165.00 to $158.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Bank of America assumed coverage on Valero Energy in a report on Thursday, October 17th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $150.00 price objective on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on Valero Energy from $172.00 to $151.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, October 2nd. Finally, Piper Sandler raised Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 10th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $154.57.

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.