Skylands Capital LLC Makes New $2.15 Million Investment in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Skylands Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor acquired 17,550 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,151,000.

Other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. New Wave Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Valero Energy during the fourth quarter worth approximately $25,000. Peterson Financial Group Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Valero Energy during the third quarter worth approximately $28,000. Tobam bought a new stake in shares of Valero Energy during the fourth quarter worth approximately $30,000. True Wealth Design LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 196.8% during the third quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 276 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $37,000 after acquiring an additional 183 shares during the period. Finally, Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Valero Energy during the third quarter worth approximately $38,000. Institutional investors own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on VLO shares. Tudor Pickering upgraded Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Barclays cut their price target on Valero Energy from $146.00 to $140.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, November 11th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on Valero Energy from $160.00 to $159.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Mizuho cut their price target on Valero Energy from $165.00 to $158.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Finally, Piper Sandler upgraded Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 10th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Valero Energy currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $154.46.

Valero Energy Stock Down 3.2 %

NYSE VLO opened at $134.67 on Monday. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $131.06 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $135.69. 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 fifty-two week low of $116.84 and a fifty-two week high of $184.79. The stock has a market capitalization of $42.63 billion, a PE ratio of 15.88, a PEG ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 1.42.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The oil and gas company reported $0.64 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.14 by $0.50. Valero Energy had a net margin of 2.13% and a return on equity of 9.58%. Equities analysts expect that Valero Energy Co. will post 7.92 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 3rd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, January 30th will be issued a dividend of $1.13 per share. 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 dividend yield of 3.36%. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio is 53.30%.

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.