First National Bank of Mount Dora Trust Investment Services Boosts Position in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

First National Bank of Mount Dora Trust Investment Services raised its stake in shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 2.5% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 29,504 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after buying an additional 717 shares during the quarter. First National Bank of Mount Dora Trust Investment Services’ holdings in Valero Energy were worth $3,617,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Quad Cities Investment Group LLC grew its holdings in Valero Energy by 1.6% during the 3rd quarter. Quad Cities Investment Group LLC now owns 4,851 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $655,000 after buying an additional 75 shares in the last quarter. Providence Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 0.9% during the third quarter. Providence Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 8,784 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $1,169,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares in the last quarter. New Century Financial Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 5.0% during the third quarter. New Century Financial Group LLC now owns 1,708 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $231,000 after purchasing an additional 81 shares in the last quarter. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 4.7% during the third quarter. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,834 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $248,000 after purchasing an additional 82 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators grew its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 6.4% during the third quarter. Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators now owns 1,420 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $192,000 after purchasing an additional 85 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Valero Energy Stock Performance

Shares of VLO stock opened at $141.21 on Friday. 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 $131.16 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $138.59. The company has a market capitalization of $44.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.66, a PEG ratio of 2.43 and a beta of 1.42.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 24th. The oil and gas company reported $1.14 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.98 by $0.16. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 13.07% and a net margin of 2.74%. The firm had revenue of $32.88 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $31.04 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $7.49 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was down 14.4% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts expect that Valero Energy Co. will post 7.96 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 3.20%. This is an increase from Valero Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.07. Valero Energy’s payout ratio is presently 38.39%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently commented on VLO shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on Valero Energy from $172.00 to $151.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, October 2nd. Citigroup cut their price objective on Valero Energy from $192.00 to $176.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, October 25th. 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. BMO Capital Markets cut their target price on Valero Energy from $175.00 to $165.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, October 4th. Finally, Bank of America began coverage on Valero Energy in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $150.00 target price for the company. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $154.57.

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.