Tidal Investments LLC Buys 5,115 Shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Tidal Investments LLC increased its position in shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO - Free Report) by 15.9% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 37,349 shares of the oil and gas company's stock after acquiring an additional 5,115 shares during the period. Tidal Investments LLC's holdings in Valero Energy were worth $4,579,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of VLO. New Wave Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Valero Energy during the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Tobam acquired a new position in Valero Energy during the fourth quarter worth about $30,000. OFI Invest Asset Management acquired a new position in Valero Energy during the fourth quarter worth about $37,000. Golden State Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Valero Energy during the fourth quarter worth about $38,000. Finally, Creative Capital Management Investments LLC grew its holdings in Valero Energy by 122.0% during the fourth quarter. Creative Capital Management Investments LLC now owns 333 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $41,000 after acquiring an additional 183 shares during the period. 78.69% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on VLO shares. The Goldman Sachs Group raised Valero Energy from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $127.00 to $154.00 in a research note on Tuesday, May 13th. Piper Sandler dropped their price target on Valero Energy from $144.00 to $140.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 9th. Tudor Pickering raised Valero Energy from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. UBS Group dropped their price target on Valero Energy from $160.00 to $150.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 28th. Finally, Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on Valero Energy from $160.00 to $145.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Valero Energy has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $151.93.

Valero Energy Stock Down 0.1%

Shares of VLO traded down $0.09 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $128.63. The company's stock had a trading volume of 2,052,954 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,034,109. The firm has a market cap of $40.29 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.17, a P/E/G ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 0.98. The company has a 50 day moving average of $121.20 and a two-hundred day moving average of $128.59. Valero Energy Co. has a 1-year low of $99.00 and a 1-year high of $167.78. The company has a quick ratio of 1.11, a current ratio of 1.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35.

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

Valero Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 18th. Investors 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 3.51%. Valero Energy's payout ratio is 159.72%.

About Valero Energy

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.