Vestcor Inc Acquires 24,994 Shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Vestcor Inc lifted its holdings in shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 233.5% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 35,696 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after acquiring an additional 24,994 shares during the quarter. Vestcor Inc’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $4,376,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. boosted its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 0.4% during the 4th quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. now owns 123,356 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $14,751,000 after acquiring an additional 455 shares during the period. Kieckhefer Group LLC bought a new stake in Valero Energy in the 4th quarter valued at $1,226,000. Hudson Capital Management LLC boosted its stake 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 valued at $3,897,000 after purchasing an additional 1,937 shares during the period. Miracle Mile Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Valero Energy in the 4th quarter valued at $274,000. Finally, Captrust Financial Advisors boosted its stake in Valero Energy by 7.5% in the 3rd quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 89,762 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $12,121,000 after purchasing an additional 6,278 shares during the period. 78.69% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Valero Energy Price Performance

Valero Energy stock opened at $125.79 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a current ratio of 1.57. Valero Energy Co. has a 52 week low of $116.84 and a 52 week high of $184.79. The stock has a market capitalization of $39.62 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.83, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 1.36. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $133.02 and a 200-day moving average of $133.94.

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, topping 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%. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Valero Energy Co. will post 7.92 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 3rd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, January 30th were issued a $1.13 dividend. This represents a $4.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.59%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, January 30th. This is a boost from Valero Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.07. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 53.30%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently issued reports on VLO. 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 note on Wednesday, January 8th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on Valero Energy from $160.00 to $159.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Tudor Pickering upgraded Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, Piper Sandler dropped their price objective on Valero Energy from $149.00 to $144.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, March 7th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $156.08.

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.