Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp Reduces Stock Holdings in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp decreased its stake in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO - Free Report) by 3.5% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 336,073 shares of the oil and gas company's stock after selling 12,272 shares during the period. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp owned about 0.11% of Valero Energy worth $41,199,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in VLO. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 16.1% during the 4th 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 acquiring an additional 4,805,133 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its position in Valero Energy by 4,908.0% in 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 during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in shares of Valero Energy during the fourth quarter valued at $132,469,000. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund lifted its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 900.2% during the third quarter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund now owns 631,095 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $85,217,000 after purchasing an additional 568,000 shares during the period. Finally, Prudential Financial Inc. grew its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 159.3% in the fourth quarter. Prudential Financial Inc. now owns 850,161 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $104,221,000 after purchasing an additional 522,233 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.69% of the company's stock.

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Valero Energy Stock Up 1.1 %

Shares of NYSE VLO traded up $1.43 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $132.91. 425,697 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,877,121. 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 stock has a market cap of $41.86 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.67, a PEG ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 1.36. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $133.49 and a 200 day simple moving average of $133.31.

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 earnings per share 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%. On average, analysts expect 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. Stockholders 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 positive change from Valero Energy's previous quarterly dividend of $1.07. This represents a $4.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.40%. Valero Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 53.30%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have commented on the company. 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 report on Friday, January 31st. Tudor Pickering raised shares of Valero Energy from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Mizuho dropped their price target 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. Finally, Piper Sandler reduced their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $149.00 to $144.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, March 7th. 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 issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $152.67.

Valero Energy Company 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.