Westbourne Investment Advisors Inc. Buys 233 Shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Westbourne Investment Advisors Inc. raised its stake in shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 0.5% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 45,517 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after purchasing an additional 233 shares during the period. Valero Energy accounts for about 2.4% of Westbourne Investment Advisors Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 13th biggest holding. Westbourne Investment Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $5,917,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of VLO. BKM Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Valero Energy during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Live Oak Investment Partners purchased a new stake in shares of Valero Energy in the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Indiana Trust & Investment Management CO bought a new stake in shares of Valero Energy during the 3rd quarter valued at $28,000. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Valero Energy during the 3rd quarter valued at $28,000. Finally, Quarry LP boosted its holdings in Valero Energy by 1,676.9% in the 1st quarter. Quarry LP now owns 231 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 218 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on the company. UBS Group upped their price objective on Valero Energy from $167.00 to $197.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Citigroup began coverage on Valero Energy in a research note on Wednesday, January 24th. They issued a “buy” rating for the company. Mizuho cut shares of Valero Energy from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $150.00 to $173.00 in a research report on Friday, March 22nd. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $130.00 to $171.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a research report on Friday, March 22nd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $138.00 to $171.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 20th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Valero Energy currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $165.69.

Valero Energy Trading Up 0.6 %

NYSE:VLO traded up $1.03 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $168.84. 884,908 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,437,710. The company has a current ratio of 1.56, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $144.94 and its 200-day moving average is $135.53. The firm has a market capitalization of $56.14 billion, a P/E ratio of 6.79, a P/E/G ratio of 1.78 and a beta of 1.53. Valero Energy Co. has a 12-month low of $104.18 and a 12-month high of $172.46.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last released its earnings results on Thursday, January 25th. The oil and gas company reported $3.55 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.95 by $0.60. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 31.62% and a net margin of 6.10%. The firm had revenue of $35.41 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $34.76 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $8.45 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 15.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Valero Energy Co. will post 15.66 EPS for the current year.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 4th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, February 1st were given a dividend of $1.07 per share. This represents a $4.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.53%. This is an increase from Valero Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.02. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, January 31st. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 17.31%.

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.