New Age Alpha Advisors LLC Purchases New Position in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

New Age Alpha Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund purchased 8,131 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock, valued at approximately $997,000.

Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. New Wave Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Valero Energy during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Tobam bought a new stake in shares of Valero Energy during the 4th quarter valued at $30,000. True Wealth Design LLC grew its position in shares of Valero Energy by 196.8% in the 3rd quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 276 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $37,000 after buying an additional 183 shares during the period. OFI Invest Asset Management bought a new position in shares of Valero Energy in the 4th quarter worth about $37,000. Finally, Golden State Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Valero Energy during the 4th quarter valued at about $38,000. 78.69% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Valero Energy Trading Up 0.5 %

Shares of VLO stock opened at $132.19 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.57, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. Valero Energy Co. has a 12-month low of $116.84 and a 12-month high of $184.79. The stock has a market capitalization of $41.64 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.59, a P/E/G ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 1.36. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $133.31 and its 200 day moving average is $133.30.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The oil and gas company reported $0.64 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.14 by $0.50. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 9.58% and a net margin of 2.13%. Research analysts expect that Valero Energy Co. will post 7.92 earnings per share for the current year.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 3rd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, January 30th were paid a $1.13 dividend. This represents a $4.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.42%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, January 30th. This is a boost from Valero Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.07. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio is 53.30%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have weighed in on VLO. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $160.00 to $159.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Mizuho lowered their price objective on Valero Energy from $165.00 to $158.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company 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. Finally, Tudor Pickering raised Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. One equities research 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 company. According to MarketBeat.com, Valero Energy presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $152.67.

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.