O Brien Greene & Co. Inc Grows Position in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

O Brien Greene & Co. Inc grew its stake in shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 2.8% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 52,104 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,437 shares during the quarter. Valero Energy comprises about 2.1% of O Brien Greene & Co. Inc’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 18th biggest holding. O Brien Greene & Co. Inc’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $6,387,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Creative Planning lifted its holdings in Valero Energy by 3.8% in the third quarter. Creative Planning now owns 84,573 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $11,420,000 after acquiring an additional 3,097 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc. increased its position in shares of Valero Energy by 132.7% during the 3rd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 2,643 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $357,000 after purchasing an additional 1,507 shares during the last quarter. Ledyard National Bank lifted its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 12.0% in the 3rd quarter. Ledyard National Bank now owns 1,944 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $262,000 after purchasing an additional 209 shares during the period. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 10.1% in the third quarter. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC now owns 35,998 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $4,861,000 after buying an additional 3,290 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Accordant Advisory Group Inc grew its position in Valero Energy by 3.0% during the third quarter. Accordant Advisory Group Inc now owns 15,446 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $2,086,000 after buying an additional 448 shares during the period. 78.69% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Valero Energy Trading Down 0.8 %

Shares of VLO stock opened at $137.06 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 1.57, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. The stock has a market capitalization of $43.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.91 and a beta of 1.42. Valero Energy Co. has a 12-month low of $116.84 and a 12-month high of $184.79. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $130.76 and its 200-day moving average price is $135.94.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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 return on equity of 9.58% and a net margin of 2.13%. Equities research analysts predict that Valero Energy Co. will post 7.92 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 3rd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, January 30th will be given a dividend of $1.13 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, January 30th. This represents a $4.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.30%. This is a positive change from Valero Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.07. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 53.30%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

VLO has been the topic of several analyst reports. Barclays dropped their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $146.00 to $140.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, November 11th. Citigroup reduced their price target on Valero Energy from $192.00 to $176.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Mizuho lowered their price objective on Valero Energy from $165.00 to $158.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Tudor Pickering upgraded shares of Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, TD Cowen lowered their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $145.00 to $140.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, October 25th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $154.46.

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.