Gladstone Institutional Advisory LLC Has $204,000 Stock Holdings in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Gladstone Institutional Advisory LLC reduced its holdings in shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 10.3% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,667 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 192 shares during the quarter. Gladstone Institutional Advisory LLC’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $204,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. New Wave Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Valero Energy in the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. Peterson Financial Group Inc. bought a new position in shares of Valero Energy in the third quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Tobam bought a new stake in Valero Energy during the fourth quarter worth $30,000. True Wealth Design LLC raised its stake in shares of 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 valued at $37,000 after buying an additional 183 shares during the period. Finally, Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Valero Energy in the third quarter valued at $38,000. 78.69% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

VLO has been the subject of a number of research reports. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on Valero Energy from $160.00 to $159.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 31st. TD Cowen cut their price target on Valero Energy from $145.00 to $140.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Piper Sandler upgraded Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 10th. Tudor Pickering raised Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, Citigroup cut their price objective on Valero Energy from $192.00 to $176.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, October 25th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $154.46.

Valero Energy Price Performance

VLO opened at $135.49 on Monday. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $130.55 and its 200 day moving average price is $136.33. 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 firm has a market cap of $42.89 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.98, a PEG ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 1.42.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The oil and gas company reported $0.64 earnings per share 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%. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Valero Energy Co. will post 7.86 earnings per share for the current year.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 3rd. Investors of record on Thursday, January 30th will be paid a dividend of $1.13 per share. This is an increase from Valero Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.07. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, January 30th. This represents a $4.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.34%. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 53.30%.

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.