swisspartners Advisors Ltd Has $5.69 Million Stock Position in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

swisspartners Advisors Ltd lifted its holdings in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 4.2% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 46,420 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,890 shares during the period. Valero Energy accounts for 10.1% of swisspartners Advisors Ltd’s portfolio, making the stock its 6th biggest position. swisspartners Advisors Ltd’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $5,691,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of VLO. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC grew its holdings in Valero Energy by 1.8% during the third quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 1,293,589 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $174,673,000 after purchasing an additional 22,571 shares during the period. Kieckhefer Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Valero Energy during the 4th quarter worth about $1,226,000. Hudson Capital Management LLC grew its stake in Valero Energy by 6.5% in the 4th quarter. Hudson Capital Management LLC now owns 31,792 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $3,897,000 after buying an additional 1,937 shares during the last quarter. Miracle Mile Advisors LLC bought a new position in Valero Energy in the 4th quarter valued at about $274,000. Finally, Captrust Financial Advisors boosted its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 7.5% during the third quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 89,762 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $12,121,000 after acquiring an additional 6,278 shares during the period. 78.69% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on VLO shares. Piper Sandler raised Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 10th. Tudor Pickering upgraded shares of Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on Valero Energy from $160.00 to $159.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 31st. TD Cowen cut their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $145.00 to $140.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, October 25th. Finally, Bank of America initiated coverage on shares of Valero Energy in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $150.00 price objective for the company. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned 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.com, Valero Energy presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $154.46.

Valero Energy Price Performance

Shares of NYSE VLO opened at $133.05 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.11, a current ratio of 1.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. The company has a market capitalization of $42.12 billion, a PE ratio of 15.69, a P/E/G ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 1.42. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $130.66 and a 200 day simple moving average of $137.13. Valero Energy Co. has a twelve month low of $116.84 and a twelve month high of $184.79.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last released its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The oil and gas company reported $0.64 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%. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Valero Energy Co. will post 7.86 EPS for the current year.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 3rd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, January 30th will be issued a dividend of $1.13 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, January 30th. This represents a $4.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.40%. This is a positive change from Valero Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.07. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio 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.