Groupama Asset Managment Grows Stock Position in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Groupama Asset Managment grew its stake in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO - Free Report) by 12.8% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 134,648 shares of the oil and gas company's stock after purchasing an additional 15,235 shares during the period. Groupama Asset Managment's holdings in Valero Energy were worth $16,103,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. boosted its position in Valero Energy by 0.4% during the fourth quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. now owns 123,356 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $14,751,000 after purchasing an additional 455 shares in the last quarter. Kieckhefer Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Valero Energy during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,226,000. Hudson Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Valero Energy by 6.5% in the fourth quarter. Hudson Capital Management LLC now owns 31,792 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $3,897,000 after acquiring an additional 1,937 shares in the last quarter. Miracle Mile Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Valero Energy during the fourth quarter worth approximately $274,000. Finally, Captrust Financial Advisors boosted its stake in Valero Energy by 7.5% during the 3rd quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 89,762 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $12,121,000 after purchasing an additional 6,278 shares during the last quarter. 78.69% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

VLO has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Tudor Pickering raised shares of Valero Energy from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Mizuho lowered their target price on Valero Energy from $165.00 to $158.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on Valero Energy from $160.00 to $159.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Piper Sandler lowered their price target 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. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $152.67.

Valero Energy Price Performance

VLO stock traded up $0.03 on Wednesday, reaching $133.77. 2,410,150 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,881,570. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $133.17 and a 200-day moving average of $133.30. The firm has a market cap of $42.13 billion, a PE 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 twelve month low of $116.84 and a twelve month high of $184.79.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO - Get Free Report) last posted 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%. As a group, equities analysts predict 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 issued a $1.13 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, January 30th. 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 yield of 3.38%. Valero Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 53.30%.

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.