Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) Stock Position Lowered by Brown Brothers Harriman & Co.

Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. cut its holdings in shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO - Free Report) by 52.5% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 2,232 shares of the oil and gas company's stock after selling 2,469 shares during the period. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co.'s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $274,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of VLO. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Valero Energy during the fourth quarter worth approximately $669,400,000. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in 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 worth $4,257,024,000 after acquiring an additional 4,805,133 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its position in shares of Valero Energy by 4,908.0% in the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 2,850,526 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $384,907,000 after purchasing an additional 2,793,607 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Valero Energy in the 4th quarter valued at about $132,469,000. Finally, Prudential Financial Inc. lifted its position in shares of Valero Energy by 159.3% during the fourth quarter. Prudential Financial Inc. now owns 850,161 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $104,221,000 after purchasing an additional 522,233 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.69% of the company's stock.

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Valero Energy Stock Performance

Shares of VLO traded down $9.65 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $104.64. 7,527,761 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,922,633. Valero Energy Co. has a 12 month low of $102.60 and a 12 month high of $183.38. The stock has a market capitalization of $32.96 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.34, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 1.36. The business's 50-day moving average price is $131.94 and its 200-day moving average price is $132.95. 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 (NYSE:VLO - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The oil and gas company reported $0.64 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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%. Equities analysts predict that Valero Energy Co. will post 7.92 earnings per share for the current year.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 3rd. Investors of record on Thursday, January 30th were issued a $1.13 dividend. This is an increase 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 4.32%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, January 30th. Valero Energy's payout ratio is presently 53.30%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have issued reports on VLO. Piper Sandler cut their price objective on Valero Energy from $149.00 to $144.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, March 7th. Mizuho reduced their price objective on Valero Energy from $165.00 to $158.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $160.00 to $159.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Tudor Pickering upgraded shares of Valero Energy from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $152.67.

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.