Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA Takes $145,000 Position in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA bought a new stake in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor bought 1,214 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock, valued at approximately $145,000.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC lifted its position in Valero Energy by 1.8% in the 3rd quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 1,293,589 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $174,673,000 after buying an additional 22,571 shares during the last quarter. Kieckhefer Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Valero Energy during the 4th quarter valued at $1,226,000. Hudson Capital Management LLC raised its position in Valero Energy by 6.5% in the 4th quarter. Hudson Capital Management LLC now owns 31,792 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $3,897,000 after purchasing an additional 1,937 shares during the period. Miracle Mile Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Valero Energy during the fourth quarter valued at about $274,000. Finally, Captrust Financial Advisors grew its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 7.5% during the third quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 89,762 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $12,121,000 after buying an additional 6,278 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have weighed in on VLO shares. Piper Sandler upgraded Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 10th. Barclays dropped their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $146.00 to $140.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, November 11th. Mizuho lowered their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $165.00 to $158.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. TD Cowen reduced their price target on Valero Energy from $145.00 to $140.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, October 25th. Finally, Bank of America started coverage on Valero Energy in a report on Thursday, October 17th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $150.00 price objective for the company. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $154.54.

Valero Energy Stock Up 0.9 %

Shares of NYSE:VLO opened at $139.44 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 1.57, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $131.15 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $137.71. Valero Energy Co. has a 12-month low of $116.84 and a 12-month high of $184.79. The stock has a market capitalization of $44.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.51, a PEG ratio of 2.81 and a beta of 1.42.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 3rd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, January 30th will be paid a dividend of $1.13 per share. This is a positive change from Valero Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.07. This represents a $4.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.24%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, January 30th. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 38.39%.

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.