Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) Shares Sold by Westpac Banking Corp

Westpac Banking Corp decreased its position in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 64.7% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 2,562 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 4,704 shares during the quarter. Westpac Banking Corp’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $314,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of VLO. OneAscent Financial Services LLC lifted its holdings in Valero Energy by 57.8% in the 4th quarter. OneAscent Financial Services LLC now owns 2,997 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $367,000 after acquiring an additional 1,098 shares during the last quarter. Huntington National Bank lifted its stake in Valero Energy by 0.5% during the fourth quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 784,278 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $96,145,000 after purchasing an additional 4,044 shares during the last quarter. Groupama Asset Managment boosted its holdings in Valero Energy by 12.8% during the fourth quarter. Groupama Asset Managment now owns 134,648 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $16,103,000 after buying an additional 15,235 shares in the last quarter. Trexquant Investment LP grew its position in Valero Energy by 1,930.4% in the fourth quarter. Trexquant Investment LP now owns 113,603 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $13,927,000 after buying an additional 108,008 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of 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 valued at $844,775,000 after buying an additional 100,248 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on VLO shares. Tudor Pickering raised Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Piper Sandler decreased their price target on Valero Energy from $149.00 to $144.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, March 7th. Mizuho dropped their price target on Valero Energy from $165.00 to $158.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $160.00 to $159.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 31st. One investment 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. According to MarketBeat, Valero Energy currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $152.67.

Valero Energy Stock Performance

Shares of VLO opened at $104.64 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $32.96 billion, a PE ratio of 12.34, a PEG ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 1.36. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a current ratio of 1.57. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $131.94 and its 200 day moving average price is $132.97. Valero Energy Co. has a 52 week low of $102.60 and a 52 week high of $184.79.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) 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%. Research analysts expect that Valero Energy Co. will post 7.92 EPS for the current fiscal 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 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 4.32%. 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.