Tyche Wealth Partners LLC Takes Position in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Tyche Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund acquired 5,212 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock, valued at approximately $678,000.

Several other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the business. BKM Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Valero Energy in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Live Oak Investment Partners purchased a new position in Valero Energy in the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Valero Energy in the third quarter valued at $28,000. Quarry LP boosted its position in shares of Valero Energy by 1,676.9% during the 1st quarter. Quarry LP now owns 231 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 218 shares in the last quarter. Finally, FSC Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Valero Energy in the 4th quarter valued at about $38,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Valero Energy Trading Down 1.0 %

Shares of NYSE:VLO traded down $1.68 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $168.99. 2,126,328 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,989,606. The firm has a market cap 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. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a current ratio of 1.56. Valero Energy Co. has a 12-month low of $104.18 and a 12-month high of $184.79. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $157.18 and its 200 day moving average price is $138.75.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, January 25th. The oil and gas company reported $3.55 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.95 by $0.60. The company had revenue of $35.41 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $34.76 billion. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 31.62% and a net margin of 6.10%. The company’s revenue was down 15.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $8.45 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Valero Energy Co. will post 17.25 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 4th. Investors of record on Thursday, February 1st were issued a dividend of $1.07 per share. This represents a $4.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.53%. This is a positive change 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 presently 17.31%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts recently commented on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $171.00 to $184.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, April 4th. Scotiabank upped 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. Raymond James lifted their price target on Valero Energy from $154.00 to $155.00 and gave the stock a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 26th. Bank of America raised shares of Valero Energy from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price objective for the company from $156.00 to $210.00 in a research note on Friday, March 15th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on Valero Energy from $177.00 to $178.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, April 1st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $172.40.

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.