Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) Shares Sold by Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS

Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS lessened its stake in shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 3.5% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 67,315 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 2,429 shares during the quarter. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $8,252,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Teacher Retirement System of Texas increased its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 29.2% during the fourth quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas now owns 198,323 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $24,312,000 after acquiring an additional 44,826 shares during the period. Sandy Spring Bank increased its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 4.1% during the fourth quarter. Sandy Spring Bank now owns 15,825 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $1,940,000 after acquiring an additional 622 shares during the period. Generali Investments Management Co LLC acquired a new position in shares of Valero Energy during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $270,000. Stokes Family Office LLC acquired a new position in shares of Valero Energy during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $389,000. Finally, North Forty Two & Co. acquired a new position in Valero Energy in the fourth quarter worth approximately $414,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Valero Energy Trading Down 2.5 %

Shares of NYSE:VLO opened at $131.42 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $133.96 and a two-hundred day moving average of $133.48. The firm has a market capitalization of $41.39 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.50, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 1.36. Valero Energy Co. has a 12-month low of $116.84 and a 12-month high of $184.79. The company has a quick ratio of 1.11, a current ratio of 1.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35.

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

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 3rd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, January 30th were paid 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 dividend yield of 3.44%. This is a positive change from Valero Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.07. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 53.30%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have issued reports on VLO shares. Tudor Pickering upgraded shares of Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. 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 decreased their price target 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. Finally, Piper Sandler decreased their price target on shares of 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 issued a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $156.08.

Valero Energy 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.