Bison Wealth LLC Increases Stake in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Bison Wealth LLC grew its stake in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 21.4% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,815 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after purchasing an additional 496 shares during the period. Bison Wealth LLC’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $366,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Miller Howard Investments Inc. NY raised its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 0.5% during the 3rd quarter. Miller Howard Investments Inc. NY now owns 16,630 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $2,357,000 after buying an additional 79 shares during the period. First Trust Direct Indexing L.P. grew its position in shares of Valero Energy by 0.8% in the third quarter. First Trust Direct Indexing L.P. now owns 10,000 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $1,417,000 after purchasing an additional 81 shares during the period. Arkadios Wealth Advisors increased its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 5.0% during the fourth quarter. Arkadios Wealth Advisors now owns 1,690 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $220,000 after purchasing an additional 81 shares in the last quarter. Fulcrum Equity Management raised its stake in Valero Energy by 1.0% in the 4th quarter. Fulcrum Equity Management now owns 8,806 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $1,145,000 after purchasing an additional 86 shares during the last quarter. Finally, McIlrath & Eck LLC grew its position in Valero Energy by 40.3% in the third quarter. McIlrath & Eck LLC now owns 303 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $43,000 after acquiring an additional 87 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Valero Energy Stock Performance

Shares of VLO opened at $169.00 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.11, a current ratio of 1.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. Valero Energy Co. has a 52-week low of $104.18 and a 52-week high of $184.79. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $157.18 and a 200 day moving average price of $138.75. The company has a market capitalization of $56.19 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 6.83, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.65 and a beta of 1.54.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 25th. The oil and gas company reported $3.55 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.95 by $0.60. The company had revenue of $35.41 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $34.76 billion. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 31.62% and a net margin of 6.10%. The firm’s revenue was down 15.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $8.45 earnings per share. Research analysts predict that Valero Energy Co. will post 17.25 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 4th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, February 1st were paid a $1.07 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, January 31st. This is a positive change from Valero Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.02. This represents a $4.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.53%. Valero Energy’s payout ratio is currently 17.31%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on VLO shares. Scotiabank increased their price target on Valero Energy from $138.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a “sector outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, April 11th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $171.00 to $184.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $177.00 to $178.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, April 1st. UBS Group boosted their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $167.00 to $197.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 26th. Finally, Bank of America raised shares of Valero Energy from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price target for the company from $156.00 to $210.00 in a research report on Friday, March 15th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Valero Energy presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $172.40.

Valero Energy Company 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.