Bank of New York Mellon Corp Decreases Stake in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Bank of New York Mellon Corp trimmed its position in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO - Free Report) by 11.9% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 3,037,991 shares of the oil and gas company's stock after selling 409,178 shares during the period. Bank of New York Mellon Corp owned 0.96% of Valero Energy worth $372,427,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. New Wave Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Valero Energy during the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Peterson Financial Group Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Valero Energy during the third quarter worth about $28,000. Tobam bought a new position in shares of Valero Energy in the fourth quarter worth approximately $30,000. True Wealth Design LLC raised its stake in Valero Energy by 196.8% in the third quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 276 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $37,000 after purchasing an additional 183 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in Valero Energy in the third quarter valued at approximately $38,000. 78.69% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

VLO has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Mizuho decreased their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $165.00 to $158.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Tudor Pickering upgraded Valero Energy from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on Valero Energy from $160.00 to $159.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 31st. Piper Sandler raised Valero Energy from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Friday, January 10th. Finally, Barclays cut their target price on Valero Energy from $146.00 to $140.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, November 11th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $154.46.

Valero Energy Trading Up 0.7 %

Valero Energy stock traded up $0.96 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $130.59. The stock had a trading volume of 3,847,657 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,156,024. The stock has a market cap of $41.34 billion, a PE ratio of 15.40, a PEG ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 1.42. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $132.06 and a 200-day simple moving average of $135.14. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a current ratio of 1.57 and a quick ratio of 1.11. Valero Energy Co. has a 52 week low of $116.84 and a 52 week high of $184.79.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The oil and gas company reported $0.64 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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%. Analysts forecast that Valero Energy Co. will post 7.92 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The firm 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 represents a $4.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.46%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, January 30th. This is an increase from Valero Energy's previous quarterly dividend of $1.07. Valero Energy's dividend payout ratio is currently 53.30%.

About Valero Energy

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.