Transform Wealth LLC Acquires New Shares in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Transform Wealth LLC bought a new position in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund bought 2,379 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock, valued at approximately $292,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Quad Cities Investment Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 1.6% in the 3rd quarter. Quad Cities Investment Group LLC now owns 4,851 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $655,000 after buying an additional 75 shares during the last quarter. Providence Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in Valero Energy by 0.9% in 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 acquiring an additional 75 shares in the last quarter. New Century Financial Group LLC increased its stake in 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 acquiring an additional 81 shares during the last quarter. Segment Wealth Management LLC raised its position in Valero Energy by 1.7% during the fourth quarter. Segment Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,947 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $606,000 after purchasing an additional 81 shares during the period. Finally, Opal Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 4.7% in the 3rd quarter. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,834 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $248,000 after purchasing an additional 82 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Valero Energy Trading Down 1.1 %

NYSE:VLO opened at $139.50 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a current ratio of 1.57. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $131.31 and a 200-day simple moving average of $138.08. Valero Energy Co. has a one year low of $116.84 and a one year high of $184.79. The firm has a market cap of $44.16 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.51, a P/E/G ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 1.42.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The oil and gas company reported $1.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.98 by $0.16. The business had revenue of $32.88 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $31.04 billion. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 13.07% and a net margin of 2.74%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 14.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $7.49 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that Valero Energy Co. will post 7.93 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 3rd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, January 30th will be given a $1.13 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, January 30th. This represents a $4.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.24%. 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 firms recently weighed in on VLO. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on Valero Energy from $172.00 to $151.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, October 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on Valero Energy from $165.00 to $160.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, December 9th. TD Cowen dropped their price objective on Valero Energy from $145.00 to $140.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, October 25th. BMO Capital Markets reduced their target price on Valero Energy from $175.00 to $165.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, October 4th. Finally, Piper Sandler upgraded Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 10th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Valero Energy presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $154.57.

Valero Energy 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.