UniSuper Management Pty Ltd lifted its stake in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO - Free Report) by 26.4% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 26,987 shares of the oil and gas company's stock after buying an additional 5,637 shares during the period. UniSuper Management Pty Ltd's holdings in Valero Energy were worth $3,308,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.
Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Segment Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 1.7% during the fourth quarter. Segment Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,947 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $606,000 after purchasing an additional 81 shares during the last quarter. Silver Coast Investments LLC boosted its position in shares of Valero Energy by 1.7% in the 4th quarter. Silver Coast Investments LLC now owns 5,070 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $622,000 after purchasing an additional 83 shares during the period. Patrick M Sweeney & Associates Inc. grew its stake in Valero Energy by 2.0% during the 4th quarter. Patrick M Sweeney & Associates Inc. now owns 4,687 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $575,000 after buying an additional 90 shares during the last quarter. Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators increased its position in Valero Energy by 6.6% during the fourth quarter. Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators now owns 1,514 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $186,000 after buying an additional 94 shares during the period. Finally, Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management lifted its stake in Valero Energy by 4.5% in the fourth quarter. Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management now owns 2,312 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $283,000 after buying an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. 78.69% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
Valero Energy Stock Performance
Shares of VLO stock traded down $14.81 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $118.81. 2,559,589 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,276,005. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a current ratio of 1.57 and a quick ratio of 1.11. Valero Energy Co. has a 1 year low of $116.84 and a 1 year high of $184.79. The company has a market cap of $37.42 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.01, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 1.36. The company's 50 day moving average is $133.17 and its two-hundred day moving average is $133.30.
Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The oil and gas company reported $0.64 EPS for the quarter, beating 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%. Equities research analysts anticipate 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 given a dividend of $1.13 per share. This is a positive change from Valero Energy's previous quarterly dividend of $1.07. This represents a $4.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.80%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, January 30th. Valero Energy's dividend payout ratio is presently 53.30%.
Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades
VLO has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $160.00 to $159.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 31st. Mizuho lowered 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 report on Wednesday, January 8th. Piper Sandler reduced their target price 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. Finally, Tudor Pickering upgraded shares of Valero Energy from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $152.67.
Check Out Our Latest Analysis on VLO
About Valero Energy
(
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.
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