Avantax Planning Partners Inc. Grows Stock Holdings in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Avantax Planning Partners Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 1.5% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 42,371 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after acquiring an additional 624 shares during the quarter. Avantax Planning Partners Inc.’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $5,194,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of VLO. New Wave Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Valero Energy in the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Peterson Financial Group Inc. purchased a new position in Valero Energy in the third quarter worth approximately $28,000. Tobam acquired a new stake in Valero Energy in the fourth quarter valued at $30,000. True Wealth Design LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 196.8% in 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, OFI Invest Asset Management acquired a new position in Valero Energy in the fourth quarter valued at $37,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have commented on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $160.00 to $159.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Barclays reduced their price target on Valero Energy from $146.00 to $140.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, November 11th. Piper Sandler dropped their price target on Valero Energy from $149.00 to $144.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday. Tudor Pickering upgraded Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, 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 report on Wednesday, January 8th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Valero Energy currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $156.08.

Valero Energy Stock Performance

Shares of VLO opened at $126.78 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a current ratio of 1.57 and a quick ratio of 1.11. Valero Energy Co. has a one year low of $116.84 and a one year high of $184.79. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $132.91 and a 200-day moving average of $134.22. The company has a market cap of $40.14 billion, a PE ratio of 14.95, a P/E/G ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 1.36.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The oil and gas company reported $0.64 earnings per share 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%. On average, equities research analysts predict that Valero Energy Co. will post 7.92 EPS for the current fiscal 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 issued a dividend of $1.13 per share. This represents a $4.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.57%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, January 30th. This is an increase from Valero Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.07. Valero Energy’s payout ratio is currently 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.