Ritholtz Wealth Management Boosts Position in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Ritholtz Wealth Management grew its stake in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 2.4% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 11,901 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after acquiring an additional 283 shares during the period. Ritholtz Wealth Management’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $1,547,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the stock. BKM Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Valero Energy in the fourth quarter valued at $26,000. Live Oak Investment Partners acquired a new stake in Valero Energy during the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Indiana Trust & Investment Management CO acquired a new stake in Valero Energy during the third quarter worth about $28,000. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Valero Energy during the third quarter worth about $28,000. Finally, Quarry LP increased its stake in Valero Energy by 1,676.9% during the first quarter. Quarry LP now owns 231 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 218 shares during the last quarter. 78.69% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have commented on the company. Raymond James upped their price target on Valero Energy from $154.00 to $155.00 and gave the stock a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 26th. Citigroup assumed coverage on Valero Energy in a research note on Wednesday, January 24th. They set a “buy” rating for the company. Barclays upped their price target on Valero Energy from $146.00 to $149.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, January 29th. Bank of America raised Valero Energy from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their target price for the stock from $156.00 to $210.00 in a research report on Friday, March 15th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on Valero Energy from $138.00 to $171.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 20th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $165.69.

Valero Energy Trading Up 1.7 %

NYSE:VLO opened at $170.69 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.11, a current ratio of 1.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. The business’s 50 day moving average is $145.77 and its two-hundred day moving average is $135.75. Valero Energy Co. has a 52 week low of $104.18 and a 52 week high of $172.46. The company has a market cap of $56.75 billion, a PE ratio of 6.90, a P/E/G ratio of 1.73 and a beta of 1.53.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last released its earnings results on Thursday, January 25th. The oil and gas company reported $3.55 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.95 by $0.60. The company had revenue of $35.41 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $34.76 billion. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 31.62% and a net margin of 6.10%. Valero Energy’s quarterly revenue was down 15.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $8.45 EPS. On average, analysts predict that Valero Energy Co. will post 16.2 EPS for the current year.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 4th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, February 1st were given a dividend of $1.07 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, January 31st. This is a boost from Valero Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.02. This represents a $4.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.51%. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 17.31%.

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.