Access Financial Services Inc. Acquires 168 Shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Access Financial Services Inc. boosted its holdings in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 1.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 10,202 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after purchasing an additional 168 shares during the period. Access Financial Services Inc.’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $1,251,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Diversify Advisory Services LLC lifted its stake in Valero Energy by 26.5% in the fourth quarter. Diversify Advisory Services LLC now owns 6,393 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $813,000 after purchasing an additional 1,338 shares during the last quarter. Brady Martz Wealth Solutions LLC bought a new stake in Valero Energy in the fourth quarter worth $703,000. Ballast Inc. lifted its stake in Valero Energy by 5.1% in the fourth quarter. Ballast Inc. now owns 6,236 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $764,000 after purchasing an additional 302 shares during the last quarter. Clarius Group LLC lifted its stake in Valero Energy by 4.4% in the fourth quarter. Clarius Group LLC now owns 4,919 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $603,000 after purchasing an additional 206 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Financial Management Professionals Inc. raised its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 12.0% during the fourth quarter. Financial Management Professionals Inc. now owns 2,624 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $322,000 after acquiring an additional 281 shares during the last quarter. 78.69% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Valero Energy Trading Up 1.3 %

NYSE:VLO opened at $141.21 on Monday. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $131.25 and its 200-day moving average price is $138.34. Valero Energy Co. has a 52 week low of $116.84 and a 52 week high of $184.79. The company has a quick ratio of 1.11, a current ratio of 1.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. The stock has a market cap of $44.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.66, a PEG ratio of 2.43 and a beta of 1.42.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 24th. The oil and gas company reported $1.14 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.98 by $0.16. The company had revenue of $32.88 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $31.04 billion. Valero Energy had a net margin of 2.74% and a return on equity of 13.07%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 14.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $7.49 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Valero Energy Co. will post 7.96 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 3rd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, January 30th will be given a $1.13 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, January 30th. This is an increase from Valero Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.07. This represents a $4.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.20%. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 38.39%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

VLO has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. TD Cowen lowered their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $145.00 to $140.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Citigroup lowered their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $192.00 to $176.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Scotiabank lowered their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $173.00 to $141.00 and set a “sector outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, October 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $172.00 to $151.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, October 2nd. Finally, Bank of America started coverage on shares of Valero Energy in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $150.00 price target on the stock. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $154.57.

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.