Candriam S.C.A. Acquires 3,264 Shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Candriam S.C.A. lifted its holdings in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO - Free Report) by 3.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 102,814 shares of the oil and gas company's stock after acquiring an additional 3,264 shares during the quarter. Candriam S.C.A.'s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $12,604,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its stake in 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 period. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in shares of Valero Energy in the fourth quarter worth approximately $132,469,000. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund increased its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 900.2% in the third quarter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund now owns 631,095 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $85,217,000 after buying an additional 568,000 shares during the period. Pacer Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in Valero Energy by 18.8% during the 3rd quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 3,585,166 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $484,105,000 after buying an additional 567,059 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Valero Energy during the 3rd quarter valued at $70,352,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.69% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have issued reports on VLO. Mizuho decreased their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $165.00 to $158.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Tudor Pickering raised Valero Energy from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Barclays cut their price objective on Valero Energy from $146.00 to $140.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, November 11th. Piper Sandler decreased their target price on Valero Energy from $149.00 to $144.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Friday. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $160.00 to $159.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 31st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $156.08.

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Valero Energy Stock Down 3.0 %

NYSE:VLO traded down $3.75 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $123.05. 3,604,787 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,801,721. The company has a market cap of $38.96 billion, a PE ratio of 14.51, a P/E/G ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 1.36. 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 one year low of $116.84 and a one year high of $184.79. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $132.91 and a 200 day moving average price of $134.22.

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 EPS for the quarter, topping 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%. Equities analysts predict that Valero Energy Co. will post 7.92 EPS for the current year.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 3rd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, January 30th were issued a dividend of $1.13 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, January 30th. This is an increase from Valero Energy's previous quarterly dividend of $1.07. This represents a $4.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.67%. Valero Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 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.