U.S. Capital Wealth Advisors LLC Buys 265 Shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

U.S. Capital Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 1.5% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 17,525 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after acquiring an additional 265 shares during the period. U.S. Capital Wealth Advisors LLC’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $2,148,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of VLO. Quad Cities Investment Group LLC lifted its position in Valero Energy by 1.6% during the third quarter. Quad Cities Investment Group LLC now owns 4,851 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $655,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares during the period. Providence Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 0.9% during the 3rd quarter. Providence Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 8,784 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $1,169,000 after buying an additional 75 shares during the period. New Century Financial Group LLC lifted its holdings in Valero Energy by 5.0% in the third quarter. New Century Financial Group LLC now owns 1,708 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $231,000 after acquiring an additional 81 shares during the period. Segment Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in Valero Energy by 1.7% in 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 acquiring an additional 81 shares during the period. Finally, Opal Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Valero Energy by 4.7% in the third quarter. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,834 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $248,000 after acquiring an additional 82 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Valero Energy Trading Up 2.4 %

Valero Energy stock opened at $136.22 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $43.12 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.06, a PEG ratio of 2.67 and a beta of 1.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a current ratio of 1.57 and a quick ratio of 1.11. Valero Energy Co. has a 1 year low of $116.84 and a 1 year high of $184.79. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $130.83 and its 200-day moving average price is $137.43.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The oil and gas company reported $0.64 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.14 by $0.50. Valero Energy had a net margin of 2.13% and a return on equity of 9.58%. On average, equities analysts predict that Valero Energy Co. will post 8.29 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 3rd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, January 30th will be issued a $1.13 dividend. This represents a $4.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.32%. 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 payout ratio is 53.30%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Scotiabank lowered their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $173.00 to $141.00 and set a “sector outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, October 10th. TD Cowen decreased their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $145.00 to $140.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Citigroup decreased their target price on Valero Energy from $192.00 to $176.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, October 25th. Mizuho decreased their target price on Valero Energy from $165.00 to $158.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. 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 on the stock. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $154.46.

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.