IMS Capital Management Invests $266,000 in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

IMS Capital Management purchased a new stake in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 2,170 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock, valued at approximately $266,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. New Wave Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Valero Energy during the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Peterson Financial Group Inc. bought a new position in shares of Valero Energy in the third quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Tobam bought a new position in shares of Valero Energy in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. True Wealth Design LLC grew its stake in Valero Energy by 196.8% during the third quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 276 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $37,000 after acquiring an additional 183 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in Valero Energy during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $38,000. 78.69% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Valero Energy Trading Up 0.1 %

Shares of VLO opened at $131.03 on Friday. 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 fifty-two week low of $116.84 and a fifty-two week high of $184.79. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $130.51 and a 200-day moving average price of $136.71. The firm has a market cap of $41.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.45, a PEG ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 1.42.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The oil and gas company reported $0.64 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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%. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Valero Energy Co. will post 7.86 earnings per share for the current year.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 3rd. Investors of record on Thursday, January 30th will be given a dividend of $1.13 per share. This represents a $4.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.45%. This is a positive change from Valero Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.07. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, January 30th. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 53.30%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

VLO has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Mizuho reduced their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $165.00 to $158.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Tudor Pickering upgraded Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. TD Cowen lowered their price target on Valero Energy from $145.00 to $140.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, October 25th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on Valero Energy from $160.00 to $159.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Bank of America started coverage on shares of Valero Energy in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $150.00 price objective on the stock. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $154.46.

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.