Yousif Capital Management LLC Acquires 425 Shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Yousif Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 0.8% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 52,379 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after purchasing an additional 425 shares during the quarter. Yousif Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $6,421,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also bought and sold shares of VLO. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC increased its position in shares of Valero Energy by 1.8% during the third quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 1,293,589 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $174,673,000 after acquiring an additional 22,571 shares in the last quarter. Kieckhefer Group LLC bought a new position in Valero Energy during the 4th quarter worth about $1,226,000. Hudson Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Valero Energy by 6.5% during the fourth quarter. Hudson Capital Management LLC now owns 31,792 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $3,897,000 after buying an additional 1,937 shares during the period. Miracle Mile Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Valero Energy during the fourth quarter worth about $274,000. Finally, Captrust Financial Advisors raised its position in Valero Energy by 7.5% in the 3rd quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 89,762 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $12,121,000 after buying an additional 6,278 shares during the last quarter. 78.69% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Valero Energy Stock Performance

NYSE VLO opened at $134.20 on Friday. Valero Energy Co. has a 52-week low of $116.84 and a 52-week high of $184.79. The stock has a market cap of $42.48 billion, a PE ratio of 15.83, a P/E/G ratio of 2.67 and a beta of 1.42. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $130.86 and a 200-day moving average of $137.33. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a current ratio of 1.57.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The oil and gas company reported $0.64 earnings per share (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, sell-side analysts anticipate that Valero Energy Co. will post 8.29 EPS for the current year.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 3rd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, January 30th will be given a $1.13 dividend. This represents a $4.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.37%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, January 30th. This is a boost from Valero Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.07. Valero Energy’s payout ratio is presently 53.30%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Bank of America started coverage on shares of Valero Energy in a report on Thursday, October 17th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $150.00 price objective on the stock. Citigroup lowered their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $192.00 to $176.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased 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. Scotiabank dropped their target price on Valero Energy from $173.00 to $141.00 and set a “sector outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, October 10th. Finally, Piper Sandler upgraded Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 10th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $154.46.

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.