Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) Holdings Lifted by Daiwa Securities Group Inc.

Daiwa Securities Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO - Free Report) by 5.3% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 41,832 shares of the oil and gas company's stock after purchasing an additional 2,124 shares during the quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc.'s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $5,128,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in VLO. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its position in shares of Valero Energy by 4,908.0% in the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 2,850,526 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $384,907,000 after acquiring an additional 2,793,607 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in Valero Energy in the fourth quarter valued at $132,469,000. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund raised its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 900.2% in the 3rd 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. Pacer Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 18.8% during the 3rd quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 3,585,166 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $484,105,000 after purchasing an additional 567,059 shares during the period. Finally, Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Valero Energy in the third quarter valued at approximately $70,352,000. 78.69% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have commented on VLO shares. Tudor Pickering raised Valero Energy from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Mizuho decreased their price target on Valero Energy from $165.00 to $158.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $160.00 to $159.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Piper Sandler lowered 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 investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Valero Energy has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $156.08.

Valero Energy Stock Performance

VLO traded up $0.61 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $125.79. 3,295,636 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,796,865. 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 12 month low of $116.84 and a 12 month high of $184.79. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $133.02 and a 200-day simple moving average of $133.94. The stock has a market cap of $39.62 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.83, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 1.36.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The oil and gas company reported $0.64 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.14 by $0.50. Valero Energy had a net margin of 2.13% and a return on equity of 9.58%. Analysts anticipate that Valero Energy Co. will post 7.92 earnings per share for the current year.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 3rd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, January 30th were issued a dividend of $1.13 per share. This is an increase from Valero Energy's previous quarterly dividend of $1.07. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, January 30th. This represents a $4.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.59%. Valero Energy's payout ratio is 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.