Good Life Advisors LLC Grows Stock Holdings in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Good Life Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 1.7% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 7,359 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after purchasing an additional 124 shares during the period. Good Life Advisors LLC’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $957,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. BKM Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Valero Energy in the fourth quarter valued at $26,000. Live Oak Investment Partners acquired a new position in Valero Energy in the fourth quarter valued at $26,000. Indiana Trust & Investment Management CO acquired a new position in Valero Energy in the third quarter valued at $28,000. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Valero Energy in the third quarter valued at $28,000. Finally, Quarry LP increased its stake in Valero Energy by 1,676.9% in the first quarter. Quarry LP now owns 231 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 218 shares during the period. 78.69% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on VLO. Raymond James boosted their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $154.00 to $155.00 and gave the stock a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 26th. Citigroup assumed coverage on shares of Valero Energy in a research report on Wednesday, January 24th. They set a “buy” rating on the stock. Mizuho downgraded shares of Valero Energy from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and upped their price target for the company from $150.00 to $173.00 in a report on Friday, March 22nd. Barclays upped their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $146.00 to $149.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, January 29th. Finally, UBS Group upped their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $167.00 to $197.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $165.69.

Valero Energy Stock Up 1.7 %

Valero Energy stock traded up $2.88 during trading on Thursday, reaching $170.69. 3,318,006 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,478,841. Valero Energy Co. has a 52-week low of $104.18 and a 52-week high of $172.46. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a current ratio of 1.56. The firm has a market cap of $56.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 6.79, a PEG ratio of 1.78 and a beta of 1.53. The company’s 50-day moving average is $144.94 and its two-hundred day moving average is $135.53.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 25th. The oil and gas company reported $3.55 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.95 by $0.60. Valero Energy had a net margin of 6.10% and a return on equity of 31.62%. The firm had revenue of $35.41 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $34.76 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $8.45 EPS. The firm’s revenue was down 15.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts predict that Valero Energy Co. will post 15.66 earnings per share for the current year.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 4th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, February 1st were paid a $1.07 dividend. This represents a $4.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.51%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, January 31st. This is a positive change from Valero Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.02. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio is 17.31%.

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.