Farther Finance Advisors LLC Increases Stock Holdings in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Farther Finance Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 114.1% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 7,437 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after buying an additional 3,964 shares during the period. Farther Finance Advisors LLC’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $995,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Ameriflex Group Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Valero Energy during the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. OFI Invest Asset Management purchased a new position in shares of Valero Energy during the 4th quarter valued at about $37,000. Creative Capital Management Investments LLC lifted its position in shares of Valero Energy by 122.0% during the 4th quarter. Creative Capital Management Investments LLC now owns 333 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $41,000 after buying an additional 183 shares in the last quarter. Millstone Evans Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Valero Energy during the 4th quarter valued at about $44,000. Finally, SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of Valero Energy during the 4th quarter valued at about $52,000. 78.69% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

VLO has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. The Goldman Sachs Group raised Valero Energy from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $127.00 to $154.00 in a research report on Tuesday, May 13th. Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on Valero Energy from $160.00 to $145.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. Barclays lifted their target price on Valero Energy from $140.00 to $141.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, May 12th. Piper Sandler decreased 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, May 9th. Finally, Scotiabank decreased their target price on Valero Energy from $156.00 to $136.00 and set a “sector outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 11th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $151.93.

Valero Energy Stock Performance

NYSE:VLO opened at $133.53 on Friday. 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 1 year low of $99.00 and a 1 year high of $167.78. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $121.69 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $127.60. The company has a market cap of $41.82 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.75, a PEG ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 0.99.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The oil and gas company reported $0.89 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.16 by ($0.27). The company had revenue of $28.76 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $28.54 billion. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 9.58% and a net margin of 2.13%. Valero Energy’s revenue for the quarter was down 4.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $3.82 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Valero Energy Co. will post 7.92 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced 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 3.39%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, May 20th. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) 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.