Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. grew its stake in shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO - Free Report) by 6.4% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 504,221 shares of the oil and gas company's stock after acquiring an additional 30,131 shares during the period. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. owned about 0.16% of Valero Energy worth $62,655,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.
Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in Valero Energy by 16.1% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 34,725,700 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $4,257,024,000 after purchasing an additional 4,805,133 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Valero Energy by 4.0% during the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 10,701,232 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $1,311,864,000 after buying an additional 413,963 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its position in shares of Valero Energy by 5.6% in 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 13.6% in the 4th quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 4,072,188 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $499,210,000 after acquiring an additional 487,022 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP raised its position in shares of Valero Energy by 4,908.0% during the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 2,850,526 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $384,907,000 after acquiring an additional 2,793,607 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 78.69% of the company's stock.
Wall Street Analyst Weigh In
Several research firms have weighed in on VLO. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $160.00 to $159.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Mizuho dropped 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 note on Wednesday, January 8th. Tudor Pickering upgraded Valero Energy from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, Piper Sandler dropped their price target 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. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $152.67.
View Our Latest Stock Report on Valero Energy
Valero Energy Price Performance
VLO traded down $0.82 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $132.92. The stock had a trading volume of 835,205 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,265,837. Valero Energy Co. has a 1-year low of $116.84 and a 1-year high of $184.79. The firm has a market capitalization of $41.87 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.67, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 1.36. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $133.19 and a two-hundred day moving average of $133.30. 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 (NYSE:VLO - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The oil and gas company reported $0.64 earnings per share (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%. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Valero Energy Co. will post 7.92 EPS for the current fiscal year.
Valero Energy Increases Dividend
The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 3rd. Investors of record on Thursday, January 30th were issued a dividend of $1.13 per share. This represents a $4.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.40%. This is a boost from Valero Energy's previous quarterly dividend of $1.07. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, January 30th. Valero Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 53.30%.
Valero Energy Profile
(
Free Report)
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.
Further Reading
Before you consider Valero Energy, you'll want to hear this.
MarketBeat keeps track of Wall Street's top-rated and best performing research analysts and the stocks they recommend to their clients on a daily basis. MarketBeat has identified the five stocks that top analysts are quietly whispering to their clients to buy now before the broader market catches on... and Valero Energy wasn't on the list.
While Valero Energy currently has a Moderate Buy rating among analysts, top-rated analysts believe these five stocks are better buys.
View The Five Stocks Here
Almost everyone loves strong dividend-paying stocks, but high yields can signal danger. Discover 20 high-yield dividend stocks paying an unsustainably large percentage of their earnings. Enter your email to get this report and avoid a high-yield dividend trap.
Get This Free Report
Like this article? Share it with a colleague.
Link copied to clipboard.
