LPL Financial LLC Has $56.09 Million Stock Holdings in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

LPL Financial LLC increased its holdings in shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 2.3% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 457,540 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after acquiring an additional 10,195 shares during the period. LPL Financial LLC’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $56,090,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Banco de Sabadell S.A grew its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 1.2% in the 4th quarter. Banco de Sabadell S.A now owns 15,671 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $1,922,000 after purchasing an additional 192 shares during the period. Mosley Wealth Management bought a new stake in Valero Energy in the fourth quarter valued at $216,000. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS bought a new position in shares of Valero Energy during the fourth quarter valued at $27,002,000. Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 4.8% in the 4th quarter. Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC now owns 24,532 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $3,007,000 after purchasing an additional 1,114 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sei Investments Co. grew its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 6.0% in the 4th quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 219,606 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $26,924,000 after purchasing an additional 12,425 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Valero Energy Price Performance

Valero Energy stock opened at $133.14 on Friday. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $133.68 and its 200 day simple moving average is $133.35. 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 stock has a market cap of $41.94 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.70, a P/E/G ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 1.36. Valero Energy Co. has a 12-month low of $116.84 and a 12-month high of $184.79.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The oil and gas company reported $0.64 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.14 by $0.50. Valero Energy had a net margin of 2.13% and a return on equity of 9.58%. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Valero Energy Co. will post 7.92 earnings per share for the current year.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 3rd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, January 30th were given a dividend of $1.13 per share. This is a boost from Valero Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.07. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, January 30th. This represents a $4.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.39%. Valero Energy’s payout ratio is presently 53.30%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages recently issued reports on VLO. Mizuho cut their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $165.00 to $158.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Tudor Pickering raised Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Piper Sandler dropped their price target on Valero Energy from $149.00 to $144.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, March 7th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective 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 investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Valero Energy currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $152.67.

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.