Strategic Financial Concepts LLC Purchases Shares of 94,820 Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Strategic Financial Concepts LLC purchased a new position in shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 94,820 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock, valued at approximately $11,624,000.

Several other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of VLO. Providence Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Valero Energy by 0.9% during the 3rd quarter. Providence Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 8,784 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $1,169,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares during the period. New Century Financial Group LLC grew its position in shares of Valero Energy by 5.0% during the third quarter. New Century Financial Group LLC now owns 1,708 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $231,000 after buying an additional 81 shares in the last quarter. Segment Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 1.7% during the fourth quarter. Segment Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,947 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $606,000 after buying an additional 81 shares during the period. Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators raised its holdings in Valero Energy by 6.4% in the third quarter. Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators now owns 1,420 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $192,000 after acquiring an additional 85 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Americana Partners LLC lifted its stake in Valero Energy by 5.0% in the third quarter. Americana Partners LLC now owns 1,883 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $254,000 after acquiring an additional 89 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Valero Energy Stock Performance

Shares of Valero Energy stock opened at $135.49 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $42.89 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.98, a PEG ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 1.42. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $130.55 and its 200-day simple moving average is $136.52. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a current ratio of 1.57 and a quick ratio of 1.11. Valero Energy Co. has a 12 month low of $116.84 and a 12 month high of $184.79.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last announced its earnings results 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 net margin of 2.13% and a return on equity of 9.58%. As a group, equities 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 announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 3rd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, January 30th will be paid a $1.13 dividend. This is an increase from Valero Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.07. This represents a $4.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.34%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, January 30th. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 53.30%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

VLO has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Piper Sandler raised shares of Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 10th. Mizuho cut their price target on 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 raised Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Citigroup dropped their price objective on Valero Energy from $192.00 to $176.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, October 25th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on Valero Energy from $160.00 to $159.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 31st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and two have assigned 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 price target 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.