Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) Shares Bought by Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc.

Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. raised its holdings in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 5.1% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 80,537 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after acquiring an additional 3,912 shares during the period. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc.’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $9,873,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. New Wave Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Valero Energy in the fourth quarter worth approximately $25,000. Tobam acquired a new position in Valero Energy during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. True Wealth Design LLC grew its holdings 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 purchasing an additional 183 shares during the last quarter. OFI Invest Asset Management acquired a new position in Valero Energy during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $37,000. Finally, Golden State Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Valero Energy during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $38,000. 78.69% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

VLO has been the topic of several analyst reports. Mizuho lowered their price target on Valero Energy from $165.00 to $158.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Tudor Pickering upgraded shares of Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Piper Sandler lowered their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $149.00 to $144.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, March 7th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $160.00 to $159.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 31st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $156.08.

Valero Energy Price Performance

Shares of VLO stock opened at $135.00 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $42.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.92, a PEG 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 stock has a 50-day moving average price of $133.87 and a 200 day moving average price of $133.59. 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 (NYSE:VLO) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The oil and gas company reported $0.64 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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%. Research analysts expect that Valero Energy Co. will post 7.92 EPS for the current year.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 3rd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, January 30th were given a dividend of $1.13 per share. This is a positive change from Valero Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.07. This represents a $4.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.35%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, January 30th. Valero Energy’s payout ratio is presently 53.30%.

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.