KBC Group NV Buys 68,790 Shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

KBC Group NV boosted its position in shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 48.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 210,361 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after purchasing an additional 68,790 shares during the period. KBC Group NV owned about 0.07% of Valero Energy worth $25,788,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its holdings 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 valued at $384,907,000 after purchasing an additional 2,793,607 shares during the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC grew its position in Valero Energy by 11,318.9% in the third quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 1,076,349 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $145,339,000 after purchasing an additional 1,066,923 shares in the last quarter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund increased its stake in 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 valued at $85,217,000 after buying an additional 568,000 shares during the last quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. lifted its position in 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 buying an additional 567,059 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Valero Energy during the 3rd quarter worth about $70,352,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently issued reports on VLO shares. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on Valero Energy from $165.00 to $160.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, December 9th. Mizuho cut their price objective on Valero Energy from $165.00 to $158.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. TD Cowen lowered their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $145.00 to $140.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, October 25th. Bank of America assumed coverage on shares of Valero Energy in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $150.00 price target on the stock. Finally, BMO Capital Markets decreased their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $175.00 to $165.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, October 4th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $154.54.

Valero Energy Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE VLO opened at $138.14 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a current ratio of 1.57 and a quick ratio of 1.11. The firm has a market cap of $43.73 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.39, a P/E/G ratio of 2.81 and a beta of 1.42. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $131.23 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $137.78. Valero Energy Co. has a one year low of $116.84 and a one year high of $184.79.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The firm 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 $1.13 dividend. This is a boost from Valero Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.07. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, January 30th. This represents a $4.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.27%. Valero Energy’s payout ratio is 38.39%.

About Valero Energy

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.