Eads & Heald Wealth Management Has $595,000 Stock Holdings in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Eads & Heald Wealth Management grew its position in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 2.4% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 4,856 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after buying an additional 113 shares during the period. Eads & Heald Wealth Management’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $595,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC grew its stake in Valero Energy by 1.8% in the third quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 1,293,589 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $174,673,000 after acquiring an additional 22,571 shares during the period. Kieckhefer Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Valero Energy in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $1,226,000. Captrust Financial Advisors increased its stake in Valero Energy by 7.5% during the 3rd quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 89,762 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $12,121,000 after purchasing an additional 6,278 shares in the last quarter. Miracle Mile Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Valero Energy during the 4th quarter worth approximately $274,000. Finally, Occidental Asset Management LLC bought a new position in Valero Energy in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $319,000. Institutional investors own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Valero Energy Trading Down 1.1 %

Shares of NYSE:VLO opened at $139.50 on Wednesday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $131.31 and a 200 day simple moving average of $138.08. The company has a market capitalization of $44.16 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.51, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 1.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a current ratio of 1.57. Valero Energy Co. has a 52-week low of $116.84 and a 52-week high of $184.79.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The oil and gas company reported $1.14 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.98 by $0.16. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 13.07% and a net margin of 2.74%. The company had revenue of $32.88 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $31.04 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $7.49 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 14.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts forecast that Valero Energy Co. will post 7.93 earnings per share for the current year.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 3rd. Investors of record on Thursday, January 30th will be issued a dividend of $1.13 per share. This is an increase from Valero Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.07. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, January 30th. This represents a $4.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.24%. Valero Energy’s payout ratio is presently 38.39%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

VLO has been the subject of several research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $172.00 to $151.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, October 2nd. Piper Sandler upgraded Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 10th. Citigroup cut their price target on Valero Energy from $192.00 to $176.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, October 25th. Barclays decreased their price objective on Valero Energy from $146.00 to $140.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, November 11th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets reduced their price target on Valero Energy from $175.00 to $165.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, October 4th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued 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 $154.57.

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.