Baystate Wealth Management LLC Increases Stock Position in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Baystate Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 93.2% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 846 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after buying an additional 408 shares during the quarter. Baystate Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $110,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. Perigon Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in Valero Energy by 21.0% in the 4th quarter. Perigon Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,713 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $353,000 after purchasing an additional 470 shares in the last quarter. Wealth Effects LLC purchased a new stake in Valero Energy in the 4th quarter worth approximately $427,000. Sapient Capital LLC purchased a new stake in Valero Energy in the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,221,000. PFS Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Valero Energy in the 4th quarter worth approximately $130,000. Finally, Cerity Partners LLC lifted its stake in Valero Energy by 94.1% in the 4th quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 58,782 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $7,642,000 after purchasing an additional 28,501 shares in the last quarter. 78.69% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have recently weighed in on VLO shares. Raymond James raised their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $154.00 to $155.00 and gave the company a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 26th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $130.00 to $171.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a research report on Friday, March 22nd. Barclays raised their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $149.00 to $179.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 3rd. Citigroup started coverage on shares of Valero Energy in a research report on Wednesday, January 24th. They set a “buy” rating on the stock. Finally, Mizuho cut shares of Valero Energy from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and raised their price objective for the company from $150.00 to $173.00 in a research report on Friday, March 22nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $172.40.

Valero Energy Price Performance

VLO stock opened at $173.54 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $57.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.02, a P/E/G ratio of 1.68 and a beta of 1.54. Valero Energy Co. has a 52 week low of $104.18 and a 52 week high of $184.79. 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’s fifty day moving average is $155.96 and its 200 day moving average is $138.43.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 25th. The oil and gas company reported $3.55 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.95 by $0.60. The business had revenue of $35.41 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $34.76 billion. Valero Energy had a net margin of 6.10% and a return on equity of 31.62%. The company’s revenue was down 15.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $8.45 EPS. Research analysts predict that Valero Energy Co. will post 17.25 earnings per share for the current year.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 4th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, February 1st were issued a $1.07 dividend. This represents a $4.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.47%. 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 (DPR) 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.