Heartland Advisors Inc. Reduces Holdings in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Heartland Advisors Inc. decreased its holdings in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO - Free Report) by 38.5% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 42,712 shares of the oil and gas company's stock after selling 26,721 shares during the quarter. Heartland Advisors Inc.'s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $5,236,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in VLO. New Wave Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Valero Energy in the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Tobam acquired a new stake in Valero Energy in the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. True Wealth Design LLC increased its stake in Valero Energy by 196.8% during the 3rd quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 276 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $37,000 after purchasing an additional 183 shares in the last quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Valero Energy in the fourth quarter worth $38,000. Finally, OFI Invest Asset Management acquired a new stake in shares of Valero Energy during the fourth quarter worth $37,000. 78.69% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently issued reports on VLO. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on Valero Energy from $160.00 to $159.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 31st. 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 report on Friday, March 7th. Tudor Pickering upgraded Valero Energy from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, Mizuho cut their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $165.00 to $158.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has assigned 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 target price of $152.67.

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Valero Energy Price Performance

Shares of VLO stock traded down $0.47 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $133.27. 1,022,438 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,877,310. 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 52-week low of $116.84 and a 52-week high of $184.79. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $133.19 and a 200 day moving average of $133.30. The company has a market cap of $41.98 billion, a PE ratio of 15.72, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 1.36.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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 return on equity of 9.58% and a net margin of 2.13%. Research analysts anticipate that Valero Energy Co. will post 7.92 earnings per share for the current year.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 3rd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, January 30th were given a dividend of $1.13 per share. 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 3.39%. Valero Energy's dividend payout ratio is currently 53.30%.

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.