Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) Stock Position Raised by Lewis Asset Management LLC

Lewis Asset Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 2.7% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 5,576 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after purchasing an additional 148 shares during the period. Lewis Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $684,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC grew its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 1.8% during the third quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 1,293,589 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $174,673,000 after buying an additional 22,571 shares in the last quarter. Kieckhefer Group LLC purchased a new position in Valero Energy during the 4th quarter valued at about $1,226,000. Hudson Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 6.5% in the 4th quarter. Hudson Capital Management LLC now owns 31,792 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $3,897,000 after purchasing an additional 1,937 shares during the period. Miracle Mile Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Valero Energy in the fourth quarter worth approximately $274,000. Finally, Captrust Financial Advisors boosted its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 7.5% during the third quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 89,762 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $12,121,000 after purchasing an additional 6,278 shares during the period. 78.69% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Valero Energy Price Performance

Shares of Valero Energy stock opened at $139.44 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 1.57, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $131.15 and a 200-day simple moving average of $137.71. The stock has a market capitalization of $44.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.51, a PEG ratio of 2.81 and a beta of 1.42. Valero Energy Co. has a 1-year low of $116.84 and a 1-year high of $184.79.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The oil and gas company reported $0.64 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.14 by $0.50. Valero Energy had a net margin of 2.74% and a return on equity of 13.07%. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Valero Energy Co. will post 7.93 earnings per share for the current year.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 3rd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, January 30th will be issued a $1.13 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, January 30th. This represents a $4.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.24%. This is a positive change from Valero Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.07. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 38.39%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have weighed in on VLO. Piper Sandler upgraded shares of Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 10th. Mizuho cut their price objective on Valero Energy from $165.00 to $158.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Barclays lowered their target price 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. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on Valero Energy from $165.00 to $160.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, December 9th. Finally, Citigroup lowered their price target on Valero Energy from $192.00 to $176.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, October 25th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $154.54.

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.