Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) Shares Purchased by Cerity Partners LLC

Cerity Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO - Free Report) by 26.4% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 139,875 shares of the oil and gas company's stock after purchasing an additional 29,215 shares during the period. Cerity Partners LLC's holdings in Valero Energy were worth $17,578,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the business. New Wave Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Valero Energy in the 4th quarter worth $25,000. Tobam acquired a new position in shares of Valero Energy during the fourth quarter valued at about $30,000. Golden State Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Valero Energy in the 4th quarter worth approximately $38,000. OFI Invest Asset Management purchased a new position in shares of Valero Energy in the fourth quarter worth $37,000. Finally, Creative Capital Management Investments LLC grew its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 122.0% during the fourth quarter. Creative Capital Management Investments LLC now owns 333 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $41,000 after buying an additional 183 shares during the last quarter. 78.69% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Valero Energy Stock Down 1.0 %

VLO traded down $1.11 on Tuesday, reaching $109.23. The company's stock had a trading volume of 803,313 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,970,963. Valero Energy Co. has a fifty-two week low of $99.00 and a fifty-two week high of $174.94. The company has a quick ratio of 1.11, a current ratio of 1.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. The company has a market capitalization of $34.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.88, a P/E/G ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 1.17. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $127.39 and a two-hundred day moving average of $131.52.

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Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly 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 net margin of 2.13% and a return on equity of 9.58%. As a group, analysts forecast that Valero Energy Co. will post 7.92 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 3rd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, January 30th were paid a $1.13 dividend. 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 4.14%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, January 30th. Valero Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 53.30%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Scotiabank reduced their price objective on Valero Energy from $156.00 to $136.00 and set a "sector outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Friday. Tudor Pickering upgraded Valero Energy from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on Valero Energy from $160.00 to $159.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 31st. Piper Sandler lowered their price objective on Valero Energy from $149.00 to $144.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, March 7th. Finally, Mizuho decreased their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $165.00 to $158.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $152.46.

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.