Howard Capital Management Inc. Increases Stock Holdings in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Howard Capital Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 2.6% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 28,032 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after buying an additional 706 shares during the quarter. Howard Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $3,436,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Sigma Planning Corp grew its stake in Valero Energy by 6.3% during the 4th quarter. Sigma Planning Corp now owns 8,040 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $986,000 after buying an additional 476 shares during the last quarter. Turning Point Benefit Group Inc. purchased a new position in Valero Energy during the 4th quarter worth $386,000. Navellier & Associates Inc. grew its stake in Valero Energy by 4.3% during the 4th quarter. Navellier & Associates Inc. now owns 19,859 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $2,435,000 after buying an additional 825 shares during the last quarter. Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators grew its stake in Valero Energy by 6.6% during the 4th quarter. Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators now owns 1,514 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $186,000 after buying an additional 94 shares during the last quarter. Finally, WP Advisors LLC grew its stake in Valero Energy by 3.4% during the 4th quarter. WP Advisors LLC now owns 35,524 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $4,355,000 after buying an additional 1,184 shares during the last quarter. 78.69% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

Valero Energy Stock Performance

NYSE VLO opened at $134.67 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $42.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.88, a PEG ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 1.42. Valero Energy Co. has a twelve month low of $116.84 and a twelve month high of $184.79. 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 50-day moving average of $131.06 and a 200 day moving average of $135.78.

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

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 3rd. Shareholders 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 represents a $4.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.36%. This is a boost from Valero Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.07. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 53.30%.

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.