Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) Shares Acquired by Ieq Capital LLC

Ieq Capital LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 76.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 27,988 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after purchasing an additional 12,106 shares during the quarter. Ieq Capital LLC’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $3,431,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in VLO. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 4,908.0% during the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 2,850,526 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $384,907,000 after purchasing an additional 2,793,607 shares during the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 11,318.9% during the third quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 1,076,349 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $145,339,000 after purchasing an additional 1,066,923 shares during the last quarter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund boosted its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 900.2% during the third quarter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund now owns 631,095 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $85,217,000 after purchasing an additional 568,000 shares during the last quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 18.8% during the third quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 3,585,166 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $484,105,000 after purchasing an additional 567,059 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Valero Energy during the third quarter worth $70,352,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

Valero Energy Trading Down 3.2 %

NYSE:VLO opened at $134.67 on Friday. The business’s 50-day moving average is $131.06 and its two-hundred day moving average is $135.78. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a current ratio of 1.57 and a quick ratio of 1.11. Valero Energy Co. has a 12 month low of $116.84 and a 12 month high of $184.79. The firm has a market capitalization of $42.63 billion, a PE ratio of 15.88, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 1.42.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The oil and gas company reported $0.64 earnings per share (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%. Research analysts predict that Valero Energy Co. will post 7.92 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 3rd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, January 30th will be given a dividend of $1.13 per share. This represents a $4.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.36%. This is a positive change from Valero Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.07. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, January 30th. Valero Energy’s payout ratio is presently 53.30%.

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.