Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) Shares Purchased by QRG Capital Management Inc.

QRG Capital Management Inc. raised its stake in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 11.2% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 85,134 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after buying an additional 8,575 shares during the quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $10,437,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. boosted its position 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 purchasing an additional 455 shares during the period. Kieckhefer Group LLC acquired a new position in Valero Energy during the fourth quarter worth $1,226,000. Hudson Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 6.5% in the fourth quarter. Hudson Capital Management LLC now owns 31,792 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $3,897,000 after buying an additional 1,937 shares in the last quarter. Miracle Mile Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Valero Energy in the 4th quarter valued at $274,000. Finally, Captrust Financial Advisors lifted its stake in Valero Energy by 7.5% during the 3rd quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 89,762 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $12,121,000 after acquiring an additional 6,278 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

Valero Energy Trading Down 0.4 %

VLO opened at $129.65 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 one year low of $116.84 and a one year high of $184.79. The company has a market cap of $41.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.29, a PEG ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 1.42. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $131.82 and its 200-day simple moving average is $135.37.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last announced its quarterly earnings results 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%. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Valero Energy Co. will post 7.92 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 3rd. Investors of record on Thursday, January 30th will be given a $1.13 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, January 30th. This is a boost from Valero Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.07. This represents a $4.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.49%. Valero Energy’s payout ratio is 53.30%.

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.