Gateway Investment Advisers LLC Has $1.69 Million Position in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Gateway Investment Advisers LLC lifted its stake in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO - Free Report) by 34.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 13,815 shares of the oil and gas company's stock after purchasing an additional 3,517 shares during the quarter. Gateway Investment Advisers LLC's holdings in Valero Energy were worth $1,694,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 0.5% in the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 10,287,269 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $1,389,090,000 after purchasing an additional 50,837 shares during the last quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. lifted its position in shares of Valero Energy by 2.8% in the second quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 6,956,743 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $1,090,532,000 after buying an additional 192,397 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 5.6% during the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 4,687,585 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $639,268,000 after acquiring an additional 247,630 shares in the last quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 567,059 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its holdings 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 last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.69% of the company's stock.

Valero Energy Trading Up 1.3 %

NYSE:VLO traded up $1.84 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $141.21. The company had a trading volume of 2,531,248 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,560,424. The firm has a market cap of $44.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.66, a P/E/G ratio of 2.43 and a beta of 1.42. Valero Energy Co. has a fifty-two week low of $116.84 and a fifty-two week high of $184.79. The business's fifty day moving average is $131.25 and its two-hundred day moving average is $138.48. 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 announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The oil and gas company reported $1.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.98 by $0.16. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 13.07% and a net margin of 2.74%. The company had revenue of $32.88 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $31.04 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $7.49 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was down 14.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts expect that Valero Energy Co. will post 7.96 earnings per share for the current year.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 3rd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, January 30th will be issued a $1.13 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, January 30th. 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 3.20%. Valero Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 38.39%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on VLO shares. Mizuho cut their price objective on Valero Energy from $165.00 to $158.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on Valero Energy from $165.00 to $160.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Monday, December 9th. TD Cowen dropped their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $145.00 to $140.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Bank of America started coverage on shares of Valero Energy in a report on Thursday, October 17th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $150.00 price target for the company. Finally, Citigroup dropped their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $192.00 to $176.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, October 25th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Valero Energy presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $154.57.

Valero Energy 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.