American Century Companies Inc. Decreases Position in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

American Century Companies Inc. lowered its stake in shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO - Free Report) by 52.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 73,706 shares of the oil and gas company's stock after selling 80,856 shares during the quarter. American Century Companies Inc.'s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $9,036,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Mizuho Securities USA LLC raised its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 44.4% in the fourth quarter. Mizuho Securities USA LLC now owns 30,005 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $3,678,000 after buying an additional 9,230 shares during the period. Sciencast Management LP purchased a new stake in Valero Energy in the 4th quarter worth about $763,000. Millstone Evans Group LLC bought a new stake in Valero Energy in the 4th quarter valued at about $44,000. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. lifted its holdings in Valero Energy by 5.1% during the fourth quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. now owns 80,537 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $9,873,000 after purchasing an additional 3,912 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Boundary Creek Advisors LP bought a new position in Valero Energy during the fourth quarter worth about $11,033,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.69% of the company's stock.

Valero Energy Price Performance

VLO stock traded up $1.74 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $106.43. The company had a trading volume of 6,630,925 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,937,591. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $131.24 and a 200-day moving average price of $132.69. The company has a market capitalization of $33.52 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.55, a P/E/G ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 1.17. Valero Energy Co. has a 1 year low of $98.26 and a 1 year high of $183.38. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a current ratio of 1.57 and a quick ratio of 1.11.

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Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results 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 net margin of 2.13% and a return on equity of 9.58%. On average, research analysts anticipate that Valero Energy Co. will post 7.92 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 3rd. Investors of record on Thursday, January 30th were issued a dividend of $1.13 per share. This represents a $4.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.25%. This is a boost from Valero Energy's previous quarterly dividend of $1.07. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, January 30th. Valero Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 53.30%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages recently commented on VLO. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target 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 upgraded Valero Energy from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Mizuho reduced their price target on Valero Energy from $165.00 to $158.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Finally, Piper Sandler dropped their price objective on Valero Energy from $149.00 to $144.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, March 7th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $152.67.

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.