Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) Shares Purchased by Alliancebernstein L.P.

Alliancebernstein L.P. lifted its stake in shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 0.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 483,740 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after buying an additional 3,456 shares during the quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. owned about 0.15% of Valero Energy worth $59,302,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. New Wave Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Valero Energy in the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. Tobam purchased a new stake in shares of Valero Energy in the 4th quarter valued at about $30,000. OFI Invest Asset Management purchased a new position in Valero Energy during the 4th quarter worth approximately $37,000. Golden State Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Valero Energy during the fourth quarter worth approximately $38,000. Finally, Creative Capital Management Investments LLC lifted its stake in Valero Energy by 122.0% in the fourth quarter. Creative Capital Management Investments LLC now owns 333 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $41,000 after buying an additional 183 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Valero Energy Price Performance

VLO stock opened at $104.64 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $32.96 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.34, a PEG ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 1.36. 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 $131.94 and a 200-day moving average of $132.97. Valero Energy Co. has a 12-month low of $102.60 and a 12-month high of $184.79.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The oil and gas company reported $0.64 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.14 by $0.50. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 9.58% and a net margin of 2.13%. As a group, equities analysts expect that Valero Energy Co. will post 7.92 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 3rd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, January 30th were given a dividend of $1.13 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, January 30th. This represents a $4.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.32%. This is a boost from Valero Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.07. Valero Energy’s payout ratio is presently 53.30%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. Piper Sandler cut their target price on shares of 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 raised shares of Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Mizuho lowered their price target on Valero Energy from $165.00 to $158.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective 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. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Valero Energy presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $152.67.

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.