Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd Decreases Stock Holdings in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd lowered its stake in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 47.9% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 3,931 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 3,617 shares during the period. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $482,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in VLO. New Wave Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Valero Energy during the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. Tobam bought a new stake in shares of Valero Energy during the 4th quarter valued at about $30,000. OFI Invest Asset Management purchased a new stake in shares of Valero Energy during the 4th quarter valued at about $37,000. Golden State Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Valero Energy in the fourth quarter worth approximately $38,000. Finally, Creative Capital Management Investments LLC boosted its holdings in shares of 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 worth $41,000 after buying an additional 183 shares during the last quarter. 78.69% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Valero Energy Stock Down 8.4 %

NYSE VLO opened at $104.64 on Monday. Valero Energy Co. has a 12 month low of $100.50 and a 12 month high of $183.38. 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 stock has a market cap of $32.96 billion, a PE ratio of 12.34, a P/E/G ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 1.17. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $131.94 and its 200 day moving average is $132.92.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last released its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The oil and gas company reported $0.64 EPS for the quarter, topping 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 predict 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. Stockholders of record on Thursday, January 30th were given a dividend of $1.13 per share. This is a positive change from Valero Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.07. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, January 30th. 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 presently 53.30%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

VLO has been the topic of several recent research reports. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target 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. Mizuho lowered their target price on Valero Energy from $165.00 to $158.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Tudor Pickering upgraded Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, Piper Sandler lowered their price objective on Valero Energy from $149.00 to $144.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, March 7th. 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 stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $152.67.

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.