Oakworth Capital Inc. Acquires 70,498 Shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Oakworth Capital Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 56,398.4% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 70,623 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after purchasing an additional 70,498 shares during the period. Valero Energy accounts for approximately 0.7% of Oakworth Capital Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 25th biggest holding. Oakworth Capital Inc.’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $9,181,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in VLO. Scissortail Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in Valero Energy by 931.3% in the 4th quarter. Scissortail Wealth Management LLC now owns 22,369 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $3,095,000 after acquiring an additional 20,200 shares in the last quarter. Tyche Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Valero Energy during the fourth quarter worth about $678,000. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank increased its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 9.3% during the fourth quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 148,366 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $19,288,000 after buying an additional 12,594 shares during the period. Marino Stram & Associates LLC increased its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 0.9% during the fourth quarter. Marino Stram & Associates LLC now owns 8,384 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $1,090,000 after buying an additional 77 shares during the period. Finally, Imprint Wealth LLC increased its stake in Valero Energy by 11.6% in the fourth quarter. Imprint Wealth LLC now owns 1,764 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $229,000 after purchasing an additional 184 shares during the last quarter. 78.69% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on VLO shares. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on Valero Energy from $171.00 to $184.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, April 4th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price target on Valero Energy from $130.00 to $171.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a research report on Friday, March 22nd. Raymond James lifted their price objective on Valero Energy from $154.00 to $155.00 and gave the stock a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 26th. Citigroup assumed coverage on Valero Energy in a report on Wednesday, January 24th. They issued a “buy” rating for the company. Finally, Barclays lifted their price objective on Valero Energy from $149.00 to $179.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 3rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Valero Energy presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $172.40.

Valero Energy Trading Down 0.9 %

VLO stock traded down $1.46 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $167.53. 1,673,082 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,355,230. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $157.18 and its 200-day moving average price is $138.75. Valero Energy Co. has a one year low of $104.18 and a one year high of $184.79. The company has a market cap of $55.70 billion, a PE ratio of 6.83, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.65 and a beta of 1.54. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a current ratio of 1.56.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 25th. The oil and gas company reported $3.55 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.95 by $0.60. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 31.62% and a net margin of 6.10%. The firm had revenue of $35.41 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $34.76 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $8.45 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 15.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts predict that Valero Energy Co. will post 17.25 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 4th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, February 1st were issued a $1.07 dividend. This represents a $4.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.55%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, January 31st. This is an increase from Valero Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.02. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 17.31%.

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.