Prudential PLC Sells 2,435 Shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Prudential PLC lowered its stake in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO - Free Report) by 17.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 11,418 shares of the oil and gas company's stock after selling 2,435 shares during the period. Prudential PLC's holdings in Valero Energy were worth $1,400,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of VLO. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in 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 worth $4,257,024,000 after buying an additional 4,805,133 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in Valero Energy by 4.0% during the fourth 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 during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in Valero Energy by 1.5% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 6,871,229 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $844,775,000 after purchasing an additional 100,248 shares during the period. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Valero Energy during the fourth quarter worth $669,400,000. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. grew its position in shares of Valero Energy by 1.5% during the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 4,759,172 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $583,427,000 after buying an additional 71,587 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 78.69% of the company's stock.

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Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. Tudor Pickering raised Valero Energy from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Raymond James lowered their price target on Valero Energy from $165.00 to $155.00 and set a "strong-buy" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday. Piper Sandler cut 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. Mizuho decreased their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $165.00 to $158.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $160.00 to $159.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 31st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $152.85.

Valero Energy Stock Down 0.7 %

Shares of Valero Energy stock traded down $0.81 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $108.21. The company's stock had a trading volume of 781,082 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,962,796. Valero Energy Co. has a 1-year low of $99.00 and a 1-year high of $178.39. The company has a quick ratio of 1.11, a current ratio of 1.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. The firm has a market capitalization of $34.08 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.76, a PEG ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 1.17. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $128.64 and a 200-day simple moving average of $131.89.

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 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%. As a group, sell-side analysts expect 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 paid a dividend of $1.13 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, January 30th. This is an increase 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 4.18%. Valero Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 53.30%.

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.