Moors & Cabot Inc. Buys 1,208 Shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Moors & Cabot Inc. raised its stake in shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 10.2% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 13,095 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,208 shares during the period. Moors & Cabot Inc.’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $1,605,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of VLO. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its stake in Valero Energy by 4,908.0% during the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 2,850,526 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $384,907,000 after buying an additional 2,793,607 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in Valero Energy during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $132,469,000. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund boosted its stake in Valero Energy by 900.2% during the third quarter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund now owns 631,095 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $85,217,000 after buying an additional 568,000 shares during the last quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in Valero Energy by 18.8% during the third quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 3,585,166 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $484,105,000 after buying an additional 567,059 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC bought a new position in Valero Energy during the third quarter valued at approximately $70,352,000. Institutional investors own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Valero Energy Stock Up 1.9 %

Shares of NYSE:VLO opened at $125.35 on Thursday. Valero Energy Co. has a 52-week low of $116.84 and a 52-week high of $184.79. The stock has a market cap of $39.48 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.78, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 1.36. The business’s 50 day moving average is $132.97 and its 200 day moving average is $134.00. 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 announced its quarterly earnings data 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%. Sell-side analysts predict 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. Shareholders of record on Thursday, January 30th were given a dividend of $1.13 per share. This represents a $4.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.61%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend 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 53.30%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts recently commented on VLO shares. Tudor Pickering raised Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Mizuho decreased their price objective on Valero Energy from $165.00 to $158.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Piper Sandler reduced their price target on Valero Energy from $149.00 to $144.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, March 7th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on Valero Energy from $160.00 to $159.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 31st. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Valero Energy has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $156.08.

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.