Simmons Bank Boosts Position in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Simmons Bank raised its stake in shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 14.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 5,517 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after buying an additional 711 shares during the quarter. Simmons Bank’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $676,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in VLO. New Wave Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Valero Energy during the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Peterson Financial Group Inc. purchased a new position in Valero Energy during the 3rd quarter valued at about $28,000. Tobam purchased a new position in Valero Energy during the 4th quarter valued at about $30,000. True Wealth Design LLC grew its holdings in Valero Energy by 196.8% during the 3rd 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in Valero Energy during the 3rd quarter valued at about $38,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Valero Energy Stock Performance

Shares of VLO stock opened at $130.11 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a current ratio of 1.57. Valero Energy Co. has a fifty-two week low of $116.84 and a fifty-two week high of $184.79. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $131.61 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $135.41. The company has a market capitalization of $41.19 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.34, a PEG ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 1.42.

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 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%. Analysts expect that Valero Energy Co. will post 7.92 earnings per share for the current year.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 3rd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, January 30th will be given a $1.13 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, January 30th. This represents a $4.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.47%. This is an increase from Valero Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.07. Valero Energy’s payout ratio is presently 53.30%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

About Valero Energy

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.