Proficio Capital Partners LLC Buys New Shares in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Proficio Capital Partners LLC purchased a new position in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor purchased 1,923 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock, valued at approximately $236,000.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. New Wave Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Valero Energy during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Tobam bought a new position in Valero Energy in the 4th quarter worth $30,000. True Wealth Design LLC boosted its holdings in 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. Golden State Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Valero Energy in the 4th quarter worth $38,000. Finally, Creative Capital Management Investments LLC lifted its position in shares of Valero Energy by 122.0% in the fourth quarter. Creative Capital Management Investments LLC now owns 333 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $41,000 after acquiring an additional 183 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

VLO has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on Valero Energy from $160.00 to $159.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Tudor Pickering raised shares of Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Piper Sandler lowered their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $149.00 to $144.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, March 7th. Finally, Mizuho cut their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $165.00 to $158.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $152.67.

Valero Energy Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:VLO opened at $134.50 on Thursday. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $133.81 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $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. Valero Energy Co. has a 52 week low of $116.84 and a 52 week high of $184.79. The stock has a market capitalization of $42.36 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.86, a PEG ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 1.36.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The oil and gas company reported $0.64 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%. On average, analysts expect that Valero Energy Co. will post 7.92 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 3rd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, January 30th were paid a $1.13 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, January 30th. This represents a $4.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.36%. This is an increase from Valero Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.07. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 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.