Mizuho Securities USA LLC Purchases 9,230 Shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Mizuho Securities USA LLC boosted its position in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 44.4% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 30,005 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after purchasing an additional 9,230 shares during the quarter. Mizuho Securities USA LLC’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $3,678,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. New Wave Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in Valero Energy in the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Tobam bought a new position in Valero Energy in the fourth quarter worth $30,000. True Wealth Design LLC raised its holdings in Valero Energy by 196.8% in the third quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 276 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $37,000 after purchasing an additional 183 shares in the last quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Valero Energy in the fourth quarter worth $38,000. Finally, OFI Invest Asset Management bought a new position in Valero Energy in the fourth quarter worth $37,000. Institutional investors own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

VLO has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Mizuho cut their target price on Valero Energy from $165.00 to $158.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Piper Sandler cut their target price on Valero Energy from $149.00 to $144.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, March 7th. Tudor Pickering raised Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on Valero Energy from $160.00 to $159.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 31st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $156.08.

Valero Energy Trading Down 2.5 %

Valero Energy stock opened at $131.42 on Monday. 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 one year low of $116.84 and a one year high of $184.79. The stock has a market capitalization of $41.39 billion, a PE ratio of 15.50, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 1.36. The business’s fifty day moving average is $133.96 and its 200 day moving average is $133.38.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The oil and gas company reported $0.64 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.14 by $0.50. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 9.58% and a net margin of 2.13%. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Valero Energy Co. will post 7.92 EPS for the current year.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 3rd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, January 30th were given a $1.13 dividend. This represents a $4.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.44%. This is a boost from Valero Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.07. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, January 30th. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 53.30%.

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.