Allstate Corp Invests $1.17 Million in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Allstate Corp purchased a new stake in shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 9,563 shares of the oil and gas company's stock, valued at approximately $1,172,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. raised its holdings in Valero Energy by 0.4% during the 4th quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. now owns 123,356 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $14,751,000 after buying an additional 455 shares during the last quarter. Kieckhefer Group LLC purchased a new stake in Valero Energy during the 4th quarter valued at $1,226,000. Hudson Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in Valero Energy by 6.5% during the 4th quarter. Hudson Capital Management LLC now owns 31,792 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $3,897,000 after acquiring an additional 1,937 shares during the period. Miracle Mile Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Valero Energy in the fourth quarter worth approximately $274,000. Finally, Captrust Financial Advisors increased its position in Valero Energy by 7.5% during the third quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 89,762 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $12,121,000 after acquiring an additional 6,278 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 78.69% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have commented on VLO. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $160.00 to $159.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Tudor Pickering raised shares of Valero Energy from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Mizuho lowered their price objective 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 cut their target price on Valero Energy from $149.00 to $144.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, March 7th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $152.67.

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Valero Energy Stock Down 8.4 %

Shares of NYSE VLO traded down $9.65 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $104.64. 7,527,761 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,920,636. Valero Energy Co. has a 1 year low of $102.75 and a 1 year high of $184.79. The stock has a market cap of $32.96 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.34, a P/E/G ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 1.36. The company has a quick ratio of 1.11, a current ratio of 1.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $131.94 and a 200 day moving average of $132.97.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The oil and gas company reported $0.64 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.14 by $0.50. Valero Energy had a net margin of 2.13% and a return on equity of 9.58%. On average, research analysts expect that Valero Energy Co. will post 7.92 earnings per share for the current year.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 3rd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, January 30th were issued a $1.13 dividend. This represents a $4.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.32%. This is a positive change from Valero Energy's previous quarterly dividend of $1.07. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, January 30th. 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.