Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) Position Reduced by Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC

Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC lessened its stake in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO - Free Report) by 50.8% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 201,730 shares of the oil and gas company's stock after selling 208,115 shares during the quarter. Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC owned about 0.06% of Valero Energy worth $24,730,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Valero Energy during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $669,400,000. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 16.1% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 34,725,700 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $4,257,024,000 after buying an additional 4,805,133 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its position in shares of Valero Energy by 4,908.0% during the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 2,850,526 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $384,907,000 after buying an additional 2,793,607 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Valero Energy in the fourth quarter worth $132,469,000. Finally, Prudential Financial Inc. raised its holdings in Valero Energy by 159.3% in the fourth quarter. Prudential Financial Inc. now owns 850,161 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $104,221,000 after acquiring an additional 522,233 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.69% of the company's stock.

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Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

Valero Energy Stock Performance

NYSE VLO traded up $0.03 on Wednesday, hitting $133.77. The stock had a trading volume of 2,410,150 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,882,643. The company's 50-day moving average is $133.19 and its two-hundred day moving average is $133.30. The stock has a market cap of $42.13 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.77, 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. Valero Energy Co. has a one year low of $116.84 and a one year high of $184.79.

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

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 3rd. Investors of record on Thursday, January 30th were paid a dividend of $1.13 per share. This is a boost from Valero Energy's previous quarterly dividend of $1.07. This represents a $4.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.38%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, January 30th. Valero Energy's payout ratio is currently 53.30%.

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.