Wesbanco Bank Inc. Has $874,000 Position in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Wesbanco Bank Inc. increased its position in shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 10.1% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 7,126 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after acquiring an additional 653 shares during the period. Wesbanco Bank Inc.’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $874,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in VLO. Peterson Financial Group Inc. bought a new position in shares of Valero Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at $28,000. Compagnie Lombard Odier SCmA acquired a new stake in Valero Energy in the third quarter valued at about $34,000. True Wealth Design LLC raised its stake in Valero Energy by 196.8% during the third quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 276 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $37,000 after acquiring an additional 183 shares in the last quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. bought a new position in shares of Valero Energy in the third quarter worth about $38,000. Finally, Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Valero Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $50,000. 78.69% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Valero Energy Price Performance

Shares of NYSE VLO opened at $140.75 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 company has a market capitalization of $44.56 billion, a PE ratio of 12.62, a P/E/G ratio of 2.81 and a beta of 1.42. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $131.27 and a 200 day simple moving average of $137.96. Valero Energy Co. has a twelve month low of $116.84 and a twelve month high of $184.79.

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 (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.98 by $0.16. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 13.07% and a net margin of 2.74%. The company had revenue of $32.88 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $31.04 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $7.49 EPS. The firm’s revenue was down 14.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Valero Energy Co. will post 7.93 EPS for the current year.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 3rd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, January 30th will be issued a dividend of $1.13 per share. This represents a $4.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.21%. This is a boost from Valero Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.07. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, January 30th. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 38.39%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently commented on the stock. Citigroup dropped their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $192.00 to $176.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Barclays cut their price objective on Valero Energy from $146.00 to $140.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, November 11th. Mizuho lowered their target price on Valero Energy from $165.00 to $158.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. TD Cowen cut their price target on Valero Energy from $145.00 to $140.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, October 25th. 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 price objective for the company. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Valero Energy has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $154.57.

About Valero Energy

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.