Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) Shares Bought by Ballast Inc.

Ballast Inc. grew its holdings in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 5.1% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 6,236 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after buying an additional 302 shares during the quarter. Ballast Inc.’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $764,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Clarius Group LLC grew its position in shares of Valero Energy by 4.4% in the fourth quarter. Clarius Group LLC now owns 4,919 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $603,000 after purchasing an additional 206 shares during the period. Financial Management Professionals Inc. lifted its stake in Valero Energy by 12.0% in the 4th quarter. Financial Management Professionals Inc. now owns 2,624 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $322,000 after buying an additional 281 shares in the last quarter. HB Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in Valero Energy by 10.3% in the 4th quarter. HB Wealth Management LLC now owns 17,552 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $2,152,000 after buying an additional 1,633 shares during the last quarter. Sanibel Captiva Trust Company Inc. increased its stake in Valero Energy by 2.1% during the 4th quarter. Sanibel Captiva Trust Company Inc. now owns 5,581 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $684,000 after buying an additional 116 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Merit Financial Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 38.1% during the fourth quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC now owns 6,883 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $844,000 after acquiring an additional 1,899 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts recently commented on the company. Piper Sandler raised Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 10th. Citigroup decreased their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $192.00 to $176.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, October 25th. BMO Capital Markets cut their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $175.00 to $165.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, October 4th. Barclays lowered their target price on Valero Energy from $146.00 to $140.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, November 11th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on Valero Energy from $172.00 to $151.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, October 2nd. 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 issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Valero Energy has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $154.57.

Valero Energy Stock Up 1.3 %

Shares of NYSE VLO opened at $141.21 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.11, a current ratio of 1.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. The business’s 50 day moving average is $131.25 and its two-hundred day moving average is $138.48. Valero Energy Co. has a 52-week low of $116.84 and a 52-week high of $184.79. The firm has a market cap of $44.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.66, a PEG ratio of 2.43 and a beta of 1.42.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The oil and gas company reported $1.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.98 by $0.16. The firm had revenue of $32.88 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $31.04 billion. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 13.07% and a net margin of 2.74%. Valero Energy’s revenue was down 14.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $7.49 EPS. Research analysts predict that Valero Energy Co. will post 7.96 EPS for the current year.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 3rd. Investors of record on Thursday, January 30th will be paid a dividend of $1.13 per share. This is an increase from Valero Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.07. This represents a $4.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.20%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, January 30th. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 38.39%.

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.