EP Wealth Advisors LLC Acquires 4,365 Shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

EP Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO - Free Report) by 2.4% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 186,085 shares of the oil and gas company's stock after buying an additional 4,365 shares during the quarter. EP Wealth Advisors LLC owned approximately 0.06% of Valero Energy worth $22,812,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. increased its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 0.4% in the fourth quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. now owns 123,356 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $14,751,000 after buying an additional 455 shares in the last quarter. Kieckhefer Group LLC acquired a new stake in Valero Energy in the fourth quarter worth about $1,226,000. Hudson Capital Management LLC increased its position in Valero Energy by 6.5% in 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 purchasing an additional 1,937 shares during the period. Miracle Mile Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Valero Energy in the fourth quarter worth about $274,000. Finally, Patten Group Inc. acquired a new stake in Valero Energy in the fourth quarter worth about $277,000. 78.69% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

VLO has been the subject of several analyst reports. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on Valero Energy from $160.00 to $145.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded Valero Energy from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $115.00 to $127.00 in a report on Monday, April 28th. Piper Sandler cut their target price on Valero Energy from $144.00 to $140.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on Valero Energy from $160.00 to $159.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Scotiabank lowered their price target on Valero Energy from $156.00 to $136.00 and set a "sector outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, April 11th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $149.53.

Valero Energy Price Performance

Shares of VLO stock traded up $6.77 on Monday, hitting $129.70. 1,872,724 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,022,085. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a current ratio of 1.57 and a quick ratio of 1.11. Valero Energy Co. has a 12 month low of $99.00 and a 12 month high of $167.78. The stock has a market cap of $40.62 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.27, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 0.98. The company has a 50 day moving average of $120.15 and a 200 day moving average of $128.42.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 24th. The oil and gas company reported $0.89 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.16 by ($0.27). The business had revenue of $28.76 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $28.54 billion. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 9.58% and a net margin of 2.13%. Valero Energy's quarterly revenue was down 4.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $3.82 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts predict that Valero Energy Co. will post 7.92 EPS for the current year.

Valero Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 18th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, May 20th will be paid a $1.13 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, May 20th. This represents a $4.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.48%. Valero Energy's payout ratio is 159.72%.

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.