Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) Shares Acquired by Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC

Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC grew its holdings in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO - Free Report) by 32.8% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 136,413 shares of the oil and gas company's stock after purchasing an additional 33,710 shares during the period. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC's holdings in Valero Energy were worth $16,723,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. boosted its position 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 acquiring an additional 455 shares during the period. Patten Group Inc. purchased a new stake in Valero Energy in the 4th quarter worth approximately $277,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Valero Energy by 4.0% in the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 10,701,232 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $1,311,864,000 after purchasing an additional 413,963 shares during the period. Private Management Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Valero Energy by 7.4% during the 4th quarter. Private Management Group Inc. now owns 372,451 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $45,659,000 after purchasing an additional 25,600 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 23.0% in the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 16,056 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $1,920,000 after purchasing an additional 3,004 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.69% of the company's stock.

Valero Energy Price Performance

NYSE:VLO traded down $4.79 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $126.16. The stock had a trading volume of 2,141,098 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,022,478. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $120.63 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $128.07. Valero Energy Co. has a 52 week low of $99.00 and a 52 week high of $167.78. The stock has a market capitalization of $39.51 billion, a PE ratio of 14.88, a PEG ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 0.98. 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 - 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 analysts' consensus estimates of $1.16 by ($0.27). Valero Energy had a net margin of 2.13% and a return on equity of 9.58%. The company had revenue of $28.76 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $28.54 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $3.82 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was down 4.7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Valero Energy Co. will post 7.92 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 18th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, May 20th will be issued a $1.13 dividend. This represents a $4.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.58%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, May 20th. Valero Energy's dividend payout ratio is currently 159.72%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages recently issued reports on VLO. Piper Sandler cut their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $144.00 to $140.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, May 9th. Mizuho increased their price objective on Valero Energy from $158.00 to $166.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 13th. Raymond James dropped their target price on Valero Energy from $165.00 to $155.00 and set a "strong-buy" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. Tudor Pickering upgraded shares of Valero Energy from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, UBS Group decreased their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $160.00 to $150.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 28th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Valero Energy presently has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $151.93.

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.