Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) Stake Lowered by Securian Asset Management Inc.

Securian Asset Management Inc. decreased its stake in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 4.5% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 16,921 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 798 shares during the period. Securian Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $2,074,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Valero Energy by 3.5% in the fourth quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 6,296 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $772,000 after buying an additional 210 shares during the last quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 6.2% in the 4th quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 18,218 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $2,233,000 after acquiring an additional 1,070 shares during the period. Moors & Cabot Inc. lifted its position in Valero Energy by 10.2% in the 4th quarter. Moors & Cabot Inc. now owns 13,095 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $1,605,000 after purchasing an additional 1,208 shares during the last quarter. Avantax Planning Partners Inc. lifted its position in Valero Energy by 1.5% in the 4th quarter. Avantax Planning Partners Inc. now owns 42,371 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $5,194,000 after purchasing an additional 624 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI boosted its stake in Valero Energy by 16.3% during the 4th quarter. Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI now owns 3,716 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $456,000 after purchasing an additional 522 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on VLO shares. Piper Sandler cut their price target on Valero Energy from $149.00 to $144.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, March 7th. Tudor Pickering upgraded Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Mizuho reduced their price target on 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 lowered their price target on Valero Energy from $160.00 to $159.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 31st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Valero Energy has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $156.08.

Valero Energy Price Performance

Shares of NYSE VLO opened at $125.79 on Friday. Valero Energy Co. has a twelve month low of $116.84 and a twelve month high of $184.79. 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 firm has a 50-day moving average of $133.02 and a two-hundred day moving average of $133.94. The company has a market capitalization of $39.62 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.83, a PEG ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 1.36.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last released its 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%. As a group, analysts expect that Valero Energy Co. will post 7.92 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 3rd. Investors of record on Thursday, January 30th were issued a $1.13 dividend. This represents a $4.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.59%. This is a boost from Valero Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.07. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, January 30th. Valero Energy’s payout ratio is presently 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.