Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI Purchases 1,999 Shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI boosted its position in shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 30.3% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 8,598 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after buying an additional 1,999 shares during the quarter. Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $1,029,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. New Wave Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Valero Energy during the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Peterson Financial Group Inc. purchased a new position in Valero Energy during the 3rd quarter valued at $28,000. Tobam purchased a new position in Valero Energy during the 4th quarter valued at $30,000. True Wealth Design LLC increased its position in Valero Energy by 196.8% during the 3rd quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 276 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $37,000 after purchasing an additional 183 shares during the period. Finally, Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in Valero Energy during the 3rd quarter valued at $38,000. 78.69% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Valero Energy Stock Performance

Shares of VLO stock opened at $127.69 on Wednesday. Valero Energy Co. has a one year low of $116.84 and a one year high of $184.79. The company’s 50-day moving average is $132.43 and its 200 day moving average is $134.75. The company has a market capitalization of $40.42 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.06, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 1.42. 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 (NYSE:VLO) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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%. Sell-side analysts expect that Valero Energy Co. will post 7.92 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 3rd. Investors of record on Thursday, January 30th were given a dividend of $1.13 per share. This represents a $4.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.54%. This is an increase from Valero Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.07. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, January 30th. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio is 53.30%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have issued reports on VLO. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $160.00 to $159.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Tudor Pickering raised shares of Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Mizuho reduced their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $165.00 to $158.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Piper Sandler raised shares of Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 10th. Finally, Barclays reduced their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $146.00 to $140.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, November 11th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Valero Energy presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $154.46.

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.