New England Research & Management Inc. Has $610,000 Holdings in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

New England Research & Management Inc. trimmed its position in shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO - Free Report) by 28.7% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 4,975 shares of the oil and gas company's stock after selling 2,000 shares during the period. New England Research & Management Inc.'s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $610,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in VLO. Peterson Financial Group Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Valero Energy in the third quarter valued at $28,000. Compagnie Lombard Odier SCmA acquired a new stake in shares of Valero Energy during the third quarter worth approximately $34,000. True Wealth Design LLC grew its holdings in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 183 shares in the last quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in Valero Energy in the 3rd quarter worth about $38,000. Finally, Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new position in Valero Energy in the third quarter worth approximately $50,000. 78.69% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have commented on VLO. TD Cowen lowered their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $145.00 to $140.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Citigroup dropped their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $192.00 to $176.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Piper Sandler raised Valero Energy from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Friday, January 10th. Bank of America initiated coverage on shares of Valero Energy in a report on Thursday, October 17th. They set a "neutral" rating and a $150.00 price target for the company. Finally, Barclays cut their price objective on Valero Energy from $146.00 to $140.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, November 11th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $154.54.

Valero Energy Trading Down 1.4 %

Shares of VLO stock traded down $1.87 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $136.48. The company had a trading volume of 2,250,106 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,971,920. 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 50 day moving average of $131.11 and a 200 day moving average of $137.72. The firm has a market cap of $43.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.26, a P/E/G ratio of 2.81 and a beta of 1.42.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO - Get Free Report) last issued 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 13.07% and a net margin of 2.74%. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Valero Energy Co. will post 7.93 EPS for the current year.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 3rd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, January 30th will be given a dividend of $1.13 per share. This represents a $4.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.31%. This is a boost from Valero Energy's previous quarterly dividend of $1.07. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, January 30th. Valero Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 38.39%.

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.