Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. Grows Stake in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its stake in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 4.0% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 10,701,232 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after acquiring an additional 413,963 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. owned approximately 3.38% of Valero Energy worth $1,311,864,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of VLO. New Wave Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Valero Energy during the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. Peterson Financial Group Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Valero Energy during the third quarter valued at $28,000. Tobam purchased a new stake in shares of Valero Energy during the fourth quarter valued at $30,000. True Wealth Design LLC boosted its position in shares of 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 buying an additional 183 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Valero Energy during the third quarter valued at $38,000. 78.69% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently commented on VLO. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on Valero Energy from $160.00 to $159.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Tudor Pickering raised Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Barclays lowered their target price on Valero Energy from $146.00 to $140.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, November 11th. Piper Sandler raised Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 10th. Finally, Mizuho lowered their target price on Valero Energy from $165.00 to $158.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $154.46.

Valero Energy Stock Down 1.8 %

NYSE VLO opened at $128.37 on Tuesday. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $132.25 and its 200-day moving average price is $134.90. 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 52 week low of $116.84 and a 52 week high of $184.79. The company has a market capitalization of $40.64 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.14, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 1.42.

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

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 3rd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, January 30th were issued a dividend of $1.13 per share. This represents a $4.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.52%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, January 30th. This is a boost from Valero Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.07. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) 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.