Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC Acquires 2,661 Shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC grew its holdings in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 12.0% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 24,849 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,661 shares during the quarter. Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $3,046,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of VLO. Segment Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 1.7% during the 4th quarter. Segment Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,947 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $606,000 after purchasing an additional 81 shares during the last quarter. Silver Coast Investments LLC boosted its holdings in Valero Energy by 1.7% in the fourth quarter. Silver Coast Investments LLC now owns 5,070 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $622,000 after acquiring an additional 83 shares in the last quarter. Patrick M Sweeney & Associates Inc. grew its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 2.0% during the fourth quarter. Patrick M Sweeney & Associates Inc. now owns 4,687 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $575,000 after acquiring an additional 90 shares during the last quarter. Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators increased its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 6.6% during the fourth quarter. Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators now owns 1,514 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $186,000 after acquiring an additional 94 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Providence Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Valero Energy by 1.1% in the 4th quarter. Providence Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 8,878 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $1,086,000 after purchasing an additional 94 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Valero Energy Trading Up 0.5 %

Shares of NYSE:VLO opened at $132.19 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $41.64 billion, a PE ratio of 15.59, 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 business has a 50 day moving average of $133.31 and a two-hundred day moving average of $133.30. The company has a current ratio of 1.57, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The oil and gas company reported $0.64 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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, analysts forecast that Valero Energy Co. will post 7.92 EPS for the current year.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 3rd. Investors of record on Thursday, January 30th were paid a $1.13 dividend. This represents a $4.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.42%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, January 30th. This is a positive change from Valero Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.07. Valero Energy’s payout ratio is currently 53.30%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Mizuho cut their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $165.00 to $158.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price 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. Piper Sandler lowered their price target on Valero Energy from $149.00 to $144.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, March 7th. Finally, Tudor Pickering raised Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $152.67.

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.