Hohimer Wealth Management LLC Increases Holdings in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Hohimer Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 1.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 26,774 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after buying an additional 264 shares during the period. Hohimer Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $3,481,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. BKM Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Valero Energy during the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Valero Energy during the 3rd quarter valued at $28,000. Wetzel Investment Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Valero Energy during the 4th quarter valued at $36,000. FSC Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in Valero Energy in the 4th quarter worth $38,000. Finally, Authentikos Wealth Advisory LLC bought a new position in Valero Energy in the 3rd quarter worth $42,000. 78.69% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts recently weighed in on VLO shares. Scotiabank upped their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $138.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a “sector outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, April 11th. TD Cowen dropped their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $190.00 to $185.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 29th. Mizuho upped their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $173.00 to $176.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, May 13th. Piper Sandler dropped their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $198.00 to $187.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, May 14th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $171.00 to $184.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, April 4th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $173.87.

Insider Buying and Selling at Valero Energy

In other Valero Energy news, Director Kimberly S. Greene sold 720 shares of Valero Energy stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $158.12, for a total value of $113,846.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 13,314 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,105,209.68. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 0.04% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Valero Energy Stock Performance

Shares of Valero Energy stock traded up $0.21 during trading on Thursday, hitting $162.21. 1,157,964 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,148,617. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a current ratio of 1.59. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $166.46 and a 200-day simple moving average of $144.58. Valero Energy Co. has a 52-week low of $105.66 and a 52-week high of $184.79. The stock has a market capitalization of $53.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.02, a PEG ratio of 1.49 and a beta of 1.55.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 25th. The oil and gas company reported $3.82 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.18 by $0.64. Valero Energy had a net margin of 5.01% and a return on equity of 24.82%. The company had revenue of $31.76 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $32.02 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $8.27 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 12.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts forecast that Valero Energy Co. will post 18.18 EPS for the current year.

Valero Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 28th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 30th will be issued a $1.07 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, May 29th. This represents a $4.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.64%. Valero Energy’s payout ratio is 21.20%.

Valero Energy Company 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.