Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. Sells 5,717 Shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. lessened its stake in shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO - Free Report) by 51.2% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 5,443 shares of the oil and gas company's stock after selling 5,717 shares during the quarter. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd.'s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $667,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in Valero Energy by 16.1% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 34,725,700 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $4,257,024,000 after buying an additional 4,805,133 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 413,963 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its holdings 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 valued at $639,268,000 after buying an additional 247,630 shares during the last quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. grew its stake 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 buying an additional 487,022 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP increased its stake 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 worth $384,907,000 after purchasing an additional 2,793,607 shares during the last quarter. 78.69% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Tudor Pickering upgraded shares of Valero Energy from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Mizuho lowered their price target on Valero Energy from $165.00 to $158.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective 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. Finally, Piper Sandler decreased 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 analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Valero Energy currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $152.67.

Valero Energy Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE VLO traded up $0.87 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $132.35. The stock had a trading volume of 1,144,658 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,879,997. The company has a market cap of $41.69 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.61, a PEG ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 1.36. Valero Energy Co. has a twelve month low of $116.84 and a twelve month high of $184.79. The business's fifty day moving average is $133.49 and its two-hundred day moving average is $133.31. 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 (NYSE:VLO - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The oil and gas company reported $0.64 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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, research analysts expect that Valero Energy Co. will post 7.92 EPS for the current year.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 3rd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, January 30th were issued a $1.13 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend 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 dividend yield of 3.42%. Valero Energy's dividend payout ratio is presently 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.